Adventure of a Lifetime
by Lucas Whitefur
Summary: Ash has a crush on Serena, and he is jubilant about his lot in life. However, all is not as it seems when Ash has dream visions of Team Rocket going after someone named Lucas Whitefur. What could they possibly want? One thing is clear, this will be the adventure of a lifetime. Amourshipping. Rated T for Teen.
1. Just Hanging Out

Ash Ketchum was in his house, staring at his phone just like a stereotypical teenager. Since he was sixteen years old himself, this should have come as no surprise to anyone.

He was on his summer vacation, and he didn't have a job or anything like that. This meant that he could essentially do whatever he wanted, _when_ ever he wanted. Within reason, of course; he wasn't going to break the law.

He dialled the number and waited. While he waited for the answer to the call, he agonized over what the person on the other end might say.

She might tell Ash that she was too busy, or that she simply wasn't interested. Ash's heart was practically a metronome with how fast it was beating. All he wanted was to persuade her that they should go for a nice late afternoon trip to the park, maybe train their Pokemon a little.

Fortunately, he got lucky. "Hello?" said the voice on the other end. It was the voice of Serena Courtland.

"Good afternoon, Serena" Ash replied, trying to sound as formal as possible. He'd always been told that, when you were trying to ask a girl out, it was always best to sound as dignified as you could. That didn't mean you had to put on a fake accent, but it did mean that you had to sound like you cared about them.

 _But I'm not asking her out,_ Ash told himself. _We're just going to hang out at a park, it's not like we're having a private dinner at some fancy restaurant. She's not my crush, not my love interest._

He might have repeatedly tried to assure himself that that wasn't the case, but he kept having doubts about that. Perhaps he really _was_ in love with Serena, because, sometimes, it sure felt that way.

"What's up, Ash? Why did you call me?"

"I was wondering", he replied, "if you'd like to head to the park with me. We could train our Pokemon against each other, get them some exercise and fresh air".

"Sounds really nice, actually" Serena said. "I'll meet you there in twenty minutes".

Ash pumped his fist in celebration, but he didn't make any audible sounds. He didn't want to sound _too_ triumphant, because then Serena might suspect something...but what, exactly?

 _I don't really care, to be honest,_ Ash thought to himself. _All I know is that it's going to be a great time._

Five minutes later, Ash knew it was about time for him to start heading towards the park. Both him and Serena lived close to Gardenia's Central Park, Gardenia being the small suburban town that both of them had grown up in. Therefore, it wouldn't take too long to get there, but he knew that it wouldn't do to be late, even if this wasn't a romantic date.

He grabbed his Pokeball from off the kitchen table and kissed his mother Delia goodbye before heading out the back door. It was then that he began making his way towards the park.

As soon as he was out of the house, he pressed the button on his Pokeball, and there was almost immediately a flash of cyan light. Ash's Pikachu, one he'd named Coyopa after an ancient God of thunder, was ejected from the Pokeball and standing right in front of Ash.

"What's going on?" Coyopa asked his master. "Why did you let me out of my Pokeball?"

"We're going to meet up with Serena at the park" Ash replied. "You would like that, wouldn't you?"

"Yeah, sounds really nice" Coyopa replied. "Let's go".

The two of them walked towards the park. Since it was late afternoon on a weekday, they had to be somewhat careful as they crossed the streets, since there was a good amount of traffic on the roads.

It was also slightly annoying that it was five or six in the afternoon, which, during this time of year, meant that the sun was right in their eyes. Ash wished he'd thought to bring sunglasses, but, at this point, that would have meant that he'd be late for his date with Serena.

 _But it's not a date,_ he reminded himself. _We're just hanging out._

"You look nervous" Coyopa told Ash.

"I am" Ash replied, which was a big mistake. Even though Coyopa was usually very nice to his master, there were the times when he liked to embarrass him.

The Pikachu looked directly at Ash and said, "Are you in love with Serena?"

Ash could feel his face flush as he replied, "No, I'm not! What gave you that idea? We're just friends, that's all".

"You sure?" Coyopa asked him. "Sometimes it doesn't seem that way".

"Trust me, it's just that. We're just friends, Serena and I".

"Whatever" the Pikachu replied. "Suit yourself, but it's not healthy to keep lying to yourself, Ash. At some point, you should admit the truth".

"But that _is_ the truth" Ash said. "I'm not attracted to her romantically, I just like hanging out with her, you know?"

"Whatever you say, pal" Coyopa replied. He then looked away from his master as they made the last crossing that they'd need to make before arriving at Central Park. It appeared as though that conversation was over, but you couldn't always tell with Coyopa. Sometimes, he could be very aggressive indeed in his pursuit of answers from Ash.

Gardenia's Central Park was a large, grassy field that had a baseball diamond, tennis courts, a basketball court, a large field for Pokemon and people to run around in, and, of course, battling courts, the thing that would prove the most useful for Ash and Coyopa today.

 _Where's Serena?,_ Ash wondered. Casting a cursory glance at the battling courts, he didn't see any signs of the girl. Granted, she might not be there yet, but, in Ash's experience, she was usually quite punctual, arriving almost anywhere on time no matter what.

 _Relax, Ash,_ he told himself, glancing at Coyopa, who was now happily frolicking around in the field. _She's probably not here yet, even if that's pretty unlike her._

Still, he felt that somehow, he should have been more specific about which park it was. She could easily have been thinking of another one; it wasn't too far-fetched.

And then she appeared, standing right behind Ash. He'd first noticed a tap on his shoulder, and then he'd turned around, looking for the source of said tap.

"Got you!" Serena exclaimed, laughing. Her gray eyes were shining as bright as they normally did, with her blonde hair cascading down her face in a pattern that made her look extremely attractive.

 _But this isn't a date,_ he told himself. _We're just hanging out._

"Hey, Serena" Ash said. "I see you brought Kalokalo with you".

Standing next to Serena was a Piplup that Ash knew belonged to the girl. Kalokalo looked very excited about something, but exactly what it was was a mystery to Ash. Really, it could have been just about anything.

"Yeah" Serena replied. "I did bring Kalokalo with me. You did want to train our Pokemon, after all".

Truth be told, Ash had gotten a little rusty on that detail. He had clearly not been thinking as plainly as he could have been had he not been worried about when Serena would come.

"Yeah. Coyopa's right here".

The two of them walked over to the battling courts, during which time they took the time to catch up with one another.

Ash and Serena had been very good friends since kindergarten, but their friendship had only grown in the last few years, and especially now that they'd started high school. On this particular day that our story starts, it was the middle of June, and they had both gotten out of 9th grade two weeks earlier.

On many occasions, they would go to each other's houses to work on homework together, or even just to hang out and play video games.

 _But I want something more,_ Ash wondered. _I want to go on an adventure with her. But today, we're just hanging out. Yes._

They reached the battling courts, which had fences around them just like tennis courts did. Really, they didn't look _too_ differently from tennis courts, except that the center of the court was in the pattern of a Pokeball, and there was no net.

"All right" Ash said. "Should we agree on rules for this battle?"

"Yes" Serena replied, addressing both Coyopa and Kalokalo. Her voice, while it was sweet, was also quite commanding, and both Pokemon looked directly at her when she said this.

"Nothing is off-limits", Ash said, "but you will only attempt to knock each other out. You will not attempt to kill each other".

Of course, it wasn't as though Coyopa and Kalokalo didn't both know this. It was common knowledge among everyone in this world that, a very long time ago, humans and Pokemon had had a violent, bloody past in terms of their relations with each other. There had been a great many wars.

Battling, as opposed to those wars, was far more playful in nature. It was considered a way to satiate Pokemon desires to fight without anyone getting killed. Somehow, it had become a very popular pastime, especially among young men and women throughout the world.

Everyone aspired to become a Pokemon Master. That could be achieved by defeating all of the gym leaders in the various regions of the world, and it certainly wasn't an easy task. It was an ambition Ash had always had, but he knew that he'd never really be able to live up to said ambition.

After all, he had school. When he was an adult, which was only a few years from now, he'd have taxes, bills, and a lifestyle to front. He just wouldn't have the time to travel the world all the time.

 _But man,_ he thought. _I sure as hell want to travel the world...maybe with Serena. But today, we're just hanging out._

 _Just hanging out._

"Ash, you okay?" Serena asked him, bringing everyone's favorite trainer back to Earth.

"Yeah, I'm fine" Ash replied. "I was just...thinking about something".

"Okay, then" Serena replied. "In that case, let's go, Kalokalo!"

The Piplup started by using Pound against Coyopa. The Pikachu hadn't been able to dodge the attack, so he ended up taking a small amount of damage. The exact amount wasn't clear, but he stumbled a bit before regaining his balance.

It was then that Coyopa used Thunder Shock against Kalokalo. However, the Piplup was able to dodge it relatively easily, and Ash was starting to wonder if his Pikachu was going to be able to win.

Granted, it _was_ a low-stakes battle. It wasn't as though Serena was a gym leader, she was just a girl from Gardenia who enjoyed battling. She shouldn't have been making him so anxious.

The battle continued on, and the moves both Pokemon were using became more and more advanced. It was like a cold war of sorts, with both sides building up towards what Ash knew would be an epic finish.

Eventually, Ash had an idea. He decided that he'd wait until the battle was over to broach the subject, however.

In fact, he'd been turning the idea over and over in his mind, like a beautiful stone you might find on the shore of a rocky beach, for some time now. He kept wondering if it was the right time to bring it up, and every time he saw Serena, he decided that the risk was too great.

Because it involved Serena. It involved himself, too, but he knew that the number one person who would need to agree with it was Serena.

Now was probably as good a time as any to bring it up. They were just relaxing on a fine early summer evening in the park, and both of them were in good moods. If not now, he might never get the chance.

But he saw Coyopa and Kalokalo still duking it out on the battling court, and he knew that it was a conversation he'd have to wait to have. Maybe just a few minutes, but timing was everything.

 _After the battle,_ he thought. _After the battle is over, I'll tell her._

* * *

 **I've been having writer's block, but I think this idea is going to work out. I hope that I can entertain the denizens of this site with the images that I transfer from my brain onto your computer screen.**

 **In other news, I'm just going through college applications, and anyone who's gone through that process knows how stressful it can be. I might do a gap year first, meaning that I'll be 20 once I start college if I do decide to take that route. We'll see what happens.**

 **Please leave a review and tell me what you thought of this.**


	2. The Big Question

**This chapter wasn't too hard to write. I'd like to thank everyone who's reviewed so far; we're at almost 100 views now, as well as 5 favorites. Not bad stats for the first chapter, I should think.**

 **I hope everyone has a nice weekend. Tonight, I'm going to get to see my cousin, who's been studying abroad. It'll be nice.**

 **Current music: Breakaway by Kelly Clarkson**

* * *

It didn't take too much longer for the battle to end. In a way, Ash wished that it would have been longer, because then he'd have a longer time to prepare to pop the question to Serena.

He wasn't going to pop _that_ question to her; he wasn't interested in marriage to Serena Courtland, at least not yet. But what he was going to ask for would be quite possibly as life-changing as that.

Finally, Coyopa was able to use a well-timed Tail Whip to knock down Kalokalo. After a few seconds of the Piplup being down for the count, it was also very apparent that he was _out_ for the count. Both Pokemon were recalled to their Pokeballs, and Ash's heart started beating very quickly.

"What's wrong, Ash?" Serena asked him as they were walking back towards the road. Serena lived in the same general direction as Ash, so she wasn't going out of her way to walk with him.

"Nothing" the boy replied. "Nothing's wrong. I just wanted to ask you something".

Ash himself was surprised by how calmly he was able to say that. He'd been so sure that he would stutter, just because he was so nervous. It was really quite overwhelming of a thought, that he was about to ask Serena for something big.

 _It's really nothing huge,_ he told himself. _It's like, where do you want to go? How much do you want to risk?_

"What is that?" Serena asked him. Those sharp gray eyes were piercing him just like a skewer. Ash knew that he wouldn't be able to turn back now. He was going to need to ask her the question, and then deal with the consequences.

If she said no, that could be the end of their friendship. If she said yes, it would change both of their lives forever. Ash's palms were sweating.

"While we were training, I realized just how much I enjoyed your company. I want to spend more time with you, and I also would love to be a Pokemon Master. The idea of that just sounds so exciting, you know?"

Serena nodded. She wasn't smiling, nor was she frowning, but her eyes definitely looked excited as she pieced together what Ash was saying.

"You want me to go on a journey with you?" she asked. Her voice sounded as pure as a mountain stream.

"Yeah, that'd be great" Ash replied.

There. He'd said it. He felt as though he'd just jumped off a bridge, instantly regretting it. She was, he'd convinced himself, going to say no. And that would be that, and every time they saw each other in school after that would be highly awkward.

But that wasn't what Serena's face was indicating. She was smiling more and more widely with each passing moment, and Ash was beginning to see the other possibility more and more clearly.

"I'd love that, Ash" she replied. "I mean, it's a big commitment, and we'd probably both be leaving school. But that's the way it is in life".

"Yeah" Ash said. "Going on this journey is a risk, but so would be not going on the journey. Life is a game of calculated risk, is it not?"

Ash was aware that he'd sounded incredibly like a philosopher there, and, had some of his peers heard that, they'd immediately have yelled, " **NERD!"** in as loud a voice as they possibly could have.

Thankfully, only Serena was there to witness that.

"Yes" she said. "But I'll have to get permission from my parents first, you know".

Ash knew all too well. His mother had always been very reluctant to send Ash away for anything. When he'd left to go to summer camp when he was younger, his mother had been extremely worried about him. She'd been worried for his safety, being away from home, just because he hadn't yet proven himself in that situation.

"Yeah" Ash replied. "I get that. I hope that you get their okay, because I really want to do this". Even as he said the words, Ash really hoped that he wasn't sounding too controlling. He didn't want Serena to feel as though he were _forcing_ her to go on this journey with him.

"Me too" Serena replied. "Do you want to have dinner at your house, where we'll talk more about plans for the trip?"

"Sure".

They ended up stopping at Serena's house, where her mother was waiting at the door. Grace Courtland was a very pretty woman, several inches shorter than her daughter, who stood at 5 feet, 9 inches tall.

"Welcome back, Serena" said Grace. "And I see Ash is with you as well…".

 _Please,_ Ash thought to himself, _don't ask if we're a couple. I don't know if I could take that. We're just friends, that's all._

"Yes" Serena said. "And Ash was wondering if I could go over to his house for dinner tonight. There's something we'd like to discuss together".

Grace narrowed her eyes at her daughter. "Is there really something that you feel secure enough to tell Ash, but not to tell me? I am your mother, after all".

"Don't worry, Mom" Serena replied. "I'll tell you later, but right now, I want to talk to Ash. Is it okay if I go to his house for dinner?"

"It's fine with me" Grace said. "As long as Delia's fine with it, I'm fine with it".

Ash knew that his mother would have no problem hosting Serena for dinner, since she'd done so many times before. The question of if Ash himself would be allowed to travel with Serena was still out in the open, however.

"Yeah" Ash said. "She'll be fine with it".

After Serena assured her mother that she'd be back by ten, the two if them left the Courtland house and began making their way towards Ash's home. The sun was sinking more, and now it was almost directly in their eyes, so they were squinting in order to see. Ash rarely felt jealous of Coyopa, safe inside his Pokeball, but now was definitely one of those times.

When they arrived at the Ketchum household, Ash's mother was at the door ready to greet her son. She hadn't expected to see Serena there, but, as soon as Ash had explained that Serena's mother had signed off on it, Delia was satisfied.

"I made enough steak for roughly fifty percent more than we'll eat tonight" Ash's mother told Serena. "Therefore, if you eat roughly what the average is of what the two of us eat, we'll be fine, just without any leftovers for tomorrow".

"Trust me", Serena replied, "I'm fine with that. I think I can guess who eats more between the two of you".

Both Ash and his mother laughed. It was no secret that Ash was always hungry, but he exercised a great deal as well, running around the park with Coyopa. Serena had a treadmill at her home, but poor Kalokalo, being a Piplup, wasn't able to run on it on account of the fact that he was always sliding around, making it very hard for him to take proper steps.

"I was wondering something" Ash told his mother. Perhaps his success at persuading Serena to go on a journey with him was making him more brazen, but it was then that he decided that he could probably convince his mother to let him leave.

"What is that?" Delia asked him. She clearly had no idea what to expect; her son went to her with all sorts of problems, because Delia Ketchum wasn't like most mothers. You could tell her anything, because she was just so kind. Ash felt very lucky to have her as a mother.

As he had with Serena, Ash decided to cut right to the chase. "Serena agreed to go on a journey with me, can I go on said journey?" he asked as kindly as possible. At the same time, he'd been unable to say it slowly, the way he'd always been taught.

Whenever Ash was talking about something that excited him, he had the tendency to speak very quickly, faster than some people would have an easy time hearing. It was as though he were running down a hill at a high speed, unable to slow down at all.

"Could you speak more slowly, Ash?" his mother asked him, right on cue to what he was thinking. "I couldn't really understand that".

"What I meant was", Ash replied, "could I go on a journey with Serena?"

"We'll have to think about that" his mother said. "There are certainly a few conversations that we will need to have before that happens".

It was better than her saying no, but, at the same time, Delia's answer was far from reassuring to Ash. He'd really been hoping that she'd say yes outright, but that had probably been too much to ask for.

 _It's no surprise, really,_ a voice inside his head told Ash. _She probably thinks that, by choosing to go on a journey with Serena, you'd be rejecting her. She is still your mother, after all._

Ash tried not to think about that as his mother set the table for three. Mother, son, and Serena then sat down to eat.

As Ash cut into his steak, Delia asked Serena how her summer was going.

"It's going pretty well" the girl replied. "I've hung out with my friends a lot, and we often take the train downtown. We've had a lot of good times together".

Ash smiled at that, but it wasn't a happy smile. Even though he did have some friends at school, he didn't spend a lot of time with them, Serena being an exception to that. Very often, he was simply content to just play video games or something like that. It might have been a sad way to spend his summer break, but it was all he had.

 _Unless I go on a journey,_ he thought.

Perhaps that was a line of reasoning he could use to persuade his mother that going on a journey would be good for him. At the same time, he didn't want to make it sound like a threat. That was going to be a challenge.

"Nice" Delia replied to Serena. "But Ash told me that he wanted to go on a journey with you. I hope you consented to that?"

"Oh yeah, I like the idea" Serena replied. "I haven't really gotten to see the world that much, and that's something I'd really like to do, you know?"

If Ash had needed any more confirmation that Serena was on his side, that she wanted to do this and not just for him, this was it. It gave him more hope, hope that his mother would be okay with it.

 _She doesn't want to think that I'm forcing Serena into this, and now she won't think that. Sure seems like good news to me._

"Well, I hope that your mother is okay with the idea" Delia told Serena. "I mean, a journey is a serious thing. It's not something to be taken lightly".

"I'll make sure my mother's fine with it" Serena replied.

Ash realized that he'd been silent for the last few minutes. He'd been watching the conversation between his mother and his friend go back and forth like a tennis match, and he had barely contributed at all, other than nodding occasionally.

 _Man, I really hope that Serena can get her mother's permission,_ Ash thought to himself. _But it's not like I'm proposing marriage to her. I'm just asking to go on a journey with her._

He realized that, if he'd been saying that out loud, he wouldn't have been helping his case. After all, they'd just been talking about how big an undertaking a journey really would be. It would be the adventure of a lifetime, to put it one way.

"Well", Delia said eventually, "if it's okay with your mother, it's okay with me if you guys go on an adventure together. You guys are sixteen, after all-".

"I'm fifteen" Serena replied, which surprised Ash. Normally, Serena would have gladly taken credit for being older than she really was.

"Whatever. My point still stands, that being that you're both older than some trainers. A lot of them just start at ten, which, in my opinion, is far too young for it. But, Ash, I will tell you one thing".

"What is that?" Ash asked. Even though he was slightly apprehensive about what his mother was about to say, he felt optimistic somehow. After all, his mother had just said that she'd be okay with the journey if Mrs. Courtland was as well.

"We're going to have a serious talk about this before you leave. I've always been a bit nervous about the idea of you leaving home, and this, like I said earlier, isn't something to be taken lightly, not in the least".

The way she said it reminded Ash of when he was younger, when he'd commit an infraction and be chastised for it. Then, his mother would lecture him about what he had done wrong. Now, it sounded much the same.

 _Only now she's lecturing me for threatening to go on a journey._

 _But it's my life, Mom. I'm not a child any longer. You no longer have dominion over me. I'm sixteen years old, and I can make my own decisions._

As they all continued eating, these were the thoughts that Ash occupied himself with. He stole an occasional glance at his mother, but her expression remained obstinate the whole time. It was a chilling sign of things to come.

* * *

Ash went to bed at 10:47 PM that evening. Those were the last digits he saw before curling up in his usual position on said bed. He usually slept on his side; he didn't know why this was, he just liked it that way.

Almost immediately after closing his eyes, he sank into a dream.

It's worth noting here that Ash rarely remembered his dreams when he woke up the next morning. There were the occasionally vivid ones, in which he was severely embarrassed by something, or the ones in which he could fly. The dreams in which he was flying were the best he'd ever had.

This dream, on the other hand, felt very real, and he somehow knew that he'd remember it when he woke the next morning. In a way, it was quite chilling.

From Ash's perspective, he was standing in a room that looked extremely modern. The walls, the floor, and everything else was made out of silver metal. Still, there was an earthy smell in the room, somehow.

 _Am I inside a mountain or something?,_ he wondered. _That might seem to make sense._

He'd heard, of course, of military bases that had been built inside of mountains, because it was a lot harder to destroy a mountain than just a simple base. But this didn't particularly look like a military base.

A man walked into the room. This man slightly resembled Mr. Monopoly, because he had short, thin white hair and a thick white mustache. Wearing a black-and-white tuxedo, he looked around the room, as though he were looking for somebody.

Ash's heart skipped several beats as Mr. Monopoly's doppelganger glanced over at his section of the room. However, the man paid him no heed, making Ash suspect that, at least in this dream, he was invisible.

 _That is, if this is a dream at all. Maybe it's real life._

 _Well, if it's a dream, don't wake me. I really want to see what happens here._

Ash should have been scared out of his mind. The metallic atmosphere was creepy, in a way. It was as sterile as a hospital, and yet it was also deep underground, or at least it seemed to be. There was little question in his mind that, had he been fully awake, he'd have been absolutely terrified and screaming at the top of his lungs.

And yet he wasn't scared, probably because he knew he wasn't really in this futuristic room hidden deep inside a mountain. Even so, it was awfully easy to imagine that he was. The dream just felt so _real._

Mr. Monopoly's look-alike turned on a screen that Ash hadn't yet noticed. It somewhat resembled a SMART board, the kind they use in classrooms.

On the screen appeared the most malicious-looking man that Ash had ever seen.

He slightly resembled a character Ash had once seen in a video game. He was humanoid, at least vaguely, but his skin was dark blue rather than a normal human's skin color, as though he had a very bad case of pneumonia.

"Orkun Vinaka", the man who appeared on the screen said, "you are late to the video call that was scheduled for 11:37 PM on Tuesday, June 12, 2018".

"That is not your fault" the man now identified as Orkun Vinaka replied. "It is mine. I was just speaking to one of my subordinates about Lucas Whitefur".

"Oh, you were?" asked the blue man.

"Yes, Blumiere, I was" Orkun replied in a slightly short manner. "He wanted to know why I haven't sent out some of my Hunters to go look for him".

 _Lucas Whitefur?,_ Ash wondered. _What the hell kind of name is that?_

"Yes, Lucas Whitefur" replied Blumiere. "Well, if you can catch him, I'll reward you very handsomely. You'll definitely get the lion's share of this region".

 _What region?,_ Ash wondered. It wasn't as though he'd be happy for it to be Kanto or Johto, but he had a feeling that it was neither of those. Moreover, he had a feeling that he knew which region it would be.

"Yes, we will take over Sinnoh together" said Orkun. "It will be amazing. But it will start with hunting down Lucas Whitefur".

 _Jeez, what sort of beef do they have with this Lucas Whitefur person? It makes no sense._

Ash couldn't help but worry for Lucas Whitefur, whoever he was. He felt like warning him, but there was just no way for him to find out who Whitefur was.

"He will be caught, and then he will die. Slowly" said Blumiere. "That is the way it's going to be".

 _Gulp._

As Orkun Vinaka and Blumiere kept debating the best methods of killing Lucas Whitefur, Ash knew that somehow he had to get this news to the person they were targeting. He tried to act in morally correct ways, and this was what he'd have to do.

 _I have to warn him, somehow. If that's even possible._


	3. Far, Far Away

**I have another chapter for you. Yeah, it's short, but I figured that had it been longer, it would have ended on a major anticlimax, and nobody likes that, do they?**

 **Thank you all for 200 views, 5 favorites, and 5 follows.**

 **EDIT: Made a small change in the first few paragraphs at the request of a friend of mine, 5UP3RNOV4. He's given me an OC for this story who will come into play later.**

 **Current music: Pain by Three Days Grace**

* * *

It felt like only seconds later that Ash opened his eyes to find that he was, once again, in his own bed, in his own bedroom, in the middle of Gardenia.

 _What WAS that?,_ he wondered. _I was here the whole time, but it wasn't like any other dream. I know that._

 _It just felt...so REAL. My mind could not have been coming up with shit like that. That's just not the way it goes._

Ash wasn't sure how he'd managed to get there in his dream, but he somehow knew that he'd really been there. At least, he had reason to believe that the events there had actually been happening.

"Lucas Whitefur" he uttered quietly, reaching over to his tablet. Sunlight was streaming through the windows, so he no longer needed for the light in his room to be on; he had plenty of natural light to read by. And, in any case, he wouldn't have needed it, since his tablet's screen was bright enough.

His alarm went off seconds later. Ash didn't know why this was, but he always tended to wake seconds before his alarm. There was probably some neurological explanation for that, though; he'd have to look that up sometime.

As soon as he'd silenced his alarm, he had to ask himself the question of why he always set his alarm, even during his summer vacation. He supposed that, on some level, he hated sleeping in, and he wanted to be up to face the day just as early as he would be during the school year.

 _Well, whatever,_ he thought. _It's not that important right now._

Ash went onto Safari, the browser app that his iPad was equipped with, and typed in "Lucas Whitefur".

There were no results that looked promising. They were all advertisements for various shop products, or else records of people who had lived and died centuries ago. Not something that would help Ash in his search, definitely not.

 _Might as well face the day, then._

Ash gingerly got out of bed. Despite, or perhaps because of, waking up early, he very often felt sluggish first thing in the morning, and today was no exception. All he needed to do, however, was to go throughout his morning routine, and he'd soon feel just like himself again.

And so that's what he did, brushing his teeth before heading back into his room to get dressed for the day. As soon as he'd done so, he headed downstairs.

To his surprise, his mother was already in the kitchen making scrambled eggs. She wasn't focused on Ash; she was focused on the frying pan, which was understandable. However, when her son did enter the kitchen, she turned to look at him.

"Good morning, Ash" Delia said. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes" he lied. Okay, maybe I will not go so far as to say he was _lying,_ but he felt as though he were stretching the truth as far as it would go before it was no longer the truth.

"That's good" his mother replied. "You know, I keep telling you not to set that alarm when you don't have school that day. Wouldn't you like to sleep in, like any other sixteen-year-old?"  
The truth was, Ash had never felt like an ordinary sixteen-year-old. Most of them were concerned with learning how to drive, passing the road test, and affording a car. Meanwhile, Ash was...not interested in those things. Gardenia was, after all, pretty walkable.

"Not really" he replied. This time, he knew he was telling the truth.

"Well, sit down at the table" Delia said. "Breakfast is about to be ready".

Ash didn't ask his mother why she'd gotten up so early. He supposed that she'd want to head to her exercise class, but that was still two and a half hours from now. Perhaps she'd had dreams as disturbing as those of her son.

"Mom" Ash said, as soon as he was seated at the kitchen table.

Delia turned to face her son. "What is it, Ash?"

"I had this dream…" he began.

"Everyone has dreams" his mother replied. "That doesn't mean that they mean anything. Indeed, most of my dreams have seemingly no meaning whatsoever".

"Yeah, well, this one felt different" Ash told her. "It felt a lot more real, somehow, like I was actually there, seeing it all unfold with my very own eyes".

He could now tell that his mother was paying close attention to what he was saying. As has been established before, Ash didn't have very memorable dreams. Delia's mind was probably working in overdrive, trying to figure out what to say next.

Eventually, she told him, "I wouldn't put too much stock in it. Like I said, everyone has dreams".

"Can I tell you what it was about?" Ash asked his mother. "Because, once I do tell you, you might take it a lot more seriously".

"Oh, all right, then" Delia replied. She didn't sound exasperated. Rather, she sounded slightly exhausted, surprising considering that it wasn't even seven in the morning yet.

Ash filled her on on every part of his dream, from Orkun Vinaka and Blumiere to the futuristic setting, and then the most chilling part, which was their seeming vendetta against someone named Lucas Whitefur.

"That does sound scary" Delia admitted. "But to suppose that it means anything…".

"I've read enough fantasy novels", Ash replied, "to know that it happens like this all the time. The character dreams something that's really going on".

"Yes, but this isn't a fantasy novel" his mother said in response. "This is real life. Things are different here".

Even though she was his mother, and loved him very much, it was clear to see that she was struggling not to say, _In case you haven't figured that out yet._

"Maybe they are" Ash replied.

"Yeah. I wouldn't put much store in what that dream says" his mother told him. "Then again, that's just me. There are...certain people...who would think otherwise".

Ash thought he knew exactly what "certain people" she was talking about. These were the shamans, or the New Age folks who claimed to know exactly what they were talking about, but were really frauds, just pretending to have magical powers in order to make money. He'd known for a very long time what his mother thought of such people, and her view of them was not positive.

"Yeah" her son replied. "I get it".

"That said, this is a good opportunity to talk with you about some... _other_ things I wanted to bring up before you left. It's a conversation that we're going to have to have eventually, so why not now?"

"Sure" Ash said. "What topic is this?"

"Well", Delia replied, "the first thing you should know is that we're going to the bank today, in order to get you set up with a bank account. If you're really going to be going on this journey, then it's best if you have some reserves of money to fall back on".

Ash had never had his own bank account, probably because his mother had always figured that it would be too much responsibility for him. Now that Ash was sixteen, however, he couldn't wait to prove her wrong.

But then he realized something else. If his mother was indeed taking him to the bank today, that meant something else.

"You're going to let me go on the journey?" he asked his mother.

"Well...yeah. You seemed to really want it yesterday. Besides, it's really not that big of a deal. As long as communicate with me regularly and ch-".

"I get it, Mom, I get it!" Ash exclaimed, his face turning slightly red, before his mother continued, the intervening words having been lost in the chaos of two people trying to make themselves heard over each other.

"-then you should be fine. Much has been said about the world being a dangerous place, but if you take the necessary precautions, it will not be".

 _Well, THAT's a relief,_ Ash said to himself. He'd been worried before that his mother wouldn't let him go at all.

"Yeah" the boy replied. "I get it".

"Very well. If you are done, please clear your plate. It's not considered polite to just leave it out like that".

Later, while they were doing the dishes, Ash asked his mother if he could go for a walk with Coyopa. It was a beautiful early summer morning, and he wanted to make the most of the good weather.

Delia was okay with that, so, a few minutes later, Ash had gotten his Pokeball from his room and made his way outside, walking down Everdeen Terrace back towards the park he'd just been at with Serena yesterday.

* * *

It was on this walk that the unexpected happened.

Once Ash and Coyopa were at the park he'd visited the previous day, the boy stood back, allowing the Pikachu to frolic around in the field. The morning sun was drying up the dew on the grass, making for a very beautiful sight indeed.

 _The only thing that could make this better would be if Serena was here with Kalokalo,_ Ash thought. _Or if I knew what that dream was about last night._

There was little doubt in his mind that the events depicted in said dream had really happened. It had just felt too much like real life, although that didn't necessarily mean it _had_ been real life.

 _Who is Lucas Whitefur, and why should I care about him?_

Those were the two questions that Ash kept on asking himself as he watched Pikachu play around. And suddenly, there was another Pokemon with Coyopa in the field.

It was a Leafeon, running around near Coyopa! The green ears, tan body, and brown feet made it absolutely unmistakable. There was no way that it could have been anything else, simply no way at all.

 _Now's my chance to add another Pokemon to my team!,_ Ash thought excitedly. Fortunately, he'd brought another Pokeball with him to the park just for this purpose, as Professor Rowan had once told him that he could carry up to six Pokemon at a time. Because of that, he'd been given six Pokeballs, four of which were currently in his closet, gathering dust.

 _Finally, one of these things is going to come in handy!_

He surveyed the scene. Coyopa and the Leafeon were both running laps around each other as though they were playing some form of tag. Ash, meanwhile, was looking for the best opportunity to catch the Leafeon in his Pokeball.

 _I need to wait for the right moment,_ he thought. _That's what I've always been told, anyway._

He knew that, once he'd caught the Leafeon and given it a name, it would be loyal to him. He didn't know yet if the Leafeon was a male or female, so he didn't know what would be appropriate to name it.

But now wasn't the time to worry about such silly things as that. Now was the time to get down to business.

Ash certainly did that, tossing the Pokeball at the Leafeon as soon as it was nearest to him. But, he realized, that strategy was no good, for, by the time it reached the area where the Leafeon _had_ been, it would no longer be there.

He had to be a little more strategic about the timing.

Grabbing his Pokeball, he tried once more to catch the Leafeon. This time, he was successful at it.

 _Yes!,_ he thought excitedly. _I did it!_

At this same time, there was a flash of red flight from Ash's Pokeball, which meant that he'd been able to catch the Leafeon relatively easily.

He didn't know how long the Leafeon would have to be in the Pokeball for until he let it out. It was probably only a few seconds, but, just to be safe, Ash waited a whole minute, while Coyopa simply looked up at Ash with an amazed expression.

"Nice throw" the Pikachu told him. "How did you time it so well?"

Truth be told, Ash wasn't sure how he'd known exactly when to throw the Pokeball. He supposed that it had just come naturally to him.

"I guess it's just practice" he lied. Both of them knew full well, however, that Ash had never done this before; he didn't have that much experience with throwing Pokeballs at moving Pokemon.

Soon enough, Ash knew, he'd have to head home. His mother had made him promise that he wouldn't be gone for more than an hour, and he'd already been at the park for the better part of twenty minutes. Right now, however, he had another order of business to attend to.

He let the Leafeon out of its Pokeball. After the usual flash of cyan light, Leafeon looked back at Ash.

"You are my new master now?" asked the Leafeon.

"Uh...yeah" the boy replied.

 _This is awkward,_ he thought. He'd just caught the Leafeon, deprived it of being able to run around with Coyopa any longer. Perhaps it had already had another master. He was beginning to see this from a whole different angle.

"I suppose I will join you, then" replied the Leafeon. "I'm male, by the way".

Ash could tell; the Leafeon's voice was decidedly masculine, not too unlike his own. He had another question he needed to ask him, though.

"What's your name?"

With a sound of utmost loathing, as though he couldn't stand to be in Ash's presence any longer, the Leafeon replied, "Levu".

 _Levu...that's nice,_ thought Ash. The name sounded grand, somehow, but he couldn't quite place why. It just sounded really nice.

 _Too bad Levu doesn't seem to like me very much, though. But he'll warm up to me. Since we're going to be going on a journey together, he had better._

It was that thought that Ash used to make himself worry less about it. Surely, once Levu saw that they were going to be going on a grand adventure together, he would be more forgiving of Ash for what he had done to him.

 _I'm far from innocent,_ Ash realized. _But hopefully, he can learn to like me. But he sure seems distant now._

* * *

Ash returned home carrying both Pokeballs, one in each hand. He'd recalled both Coyopa and Levu into their Pokeballs, because he wanted to surprise his mother. When she saw that he'd gotten another Pokemon, she'd be excited, for sure.

He got home, and his mother was still cleaning up the kitchen. That was a chore Ash helped her with sometimes, but he had not done so in a while. He didn't know why; he'd simply gotten away from it at some point, and had never gone back to it.

 _I should probably spend more time with her,_ he realized. _Since I'm going to be leaving on a journey and all._

Ever since he was much younger, Ash's mother had absolutely craved spending more time with her son. When Ash would go instead to hang out with his friends, or else play video games or surf the Internet, he'd been shutting his mother out without realizing it.

 _Well, now I'm going to have to deal with the consequences of that,_ he thought. _I'll be away, so I think I'd better be around as much as possible until then._

"Hey, Mom" said the boy. "I have a surprise for you".

"What is that?" asked Delia. "Something good, I hope?"

"I would say so".

Ash hoped that he'd made clear through the tone of voice he'd used that it was a pleasant surprise, but it wasn't always easy to do so. Ash frequently found himself using the wrong tone for a certain situation, even when it warranted a different type of voice.

He took the Pokeball that had Levu in it and held it out for his mother to see. One of these days, he decided, he was going to need to get stickers and stick them to all of his Pokeballs, with the names of the Pokemon inside written on them.

"What is that?" she asked him.

"It's a Pokeball, which has my new Pokemon inside. Levu is his name".

"What kind of Pokemon is it?"

"He's a Leafeon. His previous owner named him Levu; I didn't come up with that name".

"Nice, nice" Delia replied. "Well, do you want to head to the bank now?"

Ash sighed. Even though he was eager to go on a journey of his own, he was _not_ eager to have to deal with matters related to money. He'd always known, on some level, that this was a necessary evil when you were on a journey, but it wasn't going to be his favorite part of it at all.

"Yes" he said reluctantly.

* * *

 **Originally, I was going to include the scenes from the bank in this chapter, but I ultimately decided against it. The reason for this is because I figured you guys didn't want to read through that; you just wanted to skip right to the good things.**

 **I also think this will be the last of the daily chapters. Monday, December 10, 2018 is my estimated next update.**

 **Sincerely, SnowLucario**


	4. The Wolf Brothers

**I'm at 10 reviews now, and I couldn't be happier for all the support. I really am back on a roll now.**

 **Only 16 days until Christmas! I'm asking for a few activity books for the plane (geared towards people my age and older, not for kids), a couple of Survivor buffs, and a GoPro so that I can take better pictures.**

 **Also, check out Riolulover97's story, Dual Natures. You'll like it.**

 **Enjoy the chapter, and don't forget to review!**

* * *

It was six in the afternoon when the doorbell of the Ketchum house rang. Being that the person ringing it had already made known their intentions to come there at that time, Ash was ready to answer the door as soon as it happened.

"I'll get it!" he told his mother quickly, as she was busy setting the table for three. The older Ash got, the more he appreciated everything his mother had done for him.

 _And I'm rejecting it all,_ he thought, _running away on this journey. Really, who am I to do that?_

He didn't know what he was thinking, really; all he knew was that this was what he'd always wanted, in one way or another.

Ash quickly made his way to the front door, and, peering through the mail slot, he saw that it was exactly who he thought he was.

"Good evening, Serena" Ash told the girl who'd been waiting outside.

"Good evening, Ash" replied Serena. "You told me that you got a new Pokemon in the park?"

"Yeah" the boy replied. "A Leafeon named Levu. He doesn't seem to like me very much, though".

"I wonder why" Serena said. "Normally, Pokemon are loyal to their masters from the very start. It just doesn't make too much sense to me".

"Sometimes", Ash replied, "nothing in this world makes sense. But that is the beauty of it sometimes, you know?"

 _I'm sounding like such a nerd, aren't I?,_ he thought to himself. Ash silently chastised himself for coming across as someone Serena would not want to be seen dating.

 _But why would I worry about that? We're just hanging out, aren't we?_

Just then, Ash's mother told the two of them to come into the kitchen so that she could talk to Serena.

Even though the two had been very good friends for a very long time, Delia didn't know Serena very well at all, and Ash felt that if he was going to be leaving his mother for a long time, possibly forever, it would be nice if she could at least get acquainted with the person Ash was leaving _with._

It was somehow the case that the two weren't that familiar with each other, even in spite of the previous evening's meeting.

"Good evening, Serena" Ash's mother told the girl.

"Good evening, Mrs. Ketchum" replied Serena formally, looking at the homemade pizza that Ash's mother had laid out on trays. "I see you have made pizza for us".

"You can call me Delia", Ash's mother replied, "but thank you. There's no need to be so formal around me. In any case, dinner's about ready, it just needs to cool down for a few minutes".

For a period of time that was roughly three to five minutes long, the Ketchums and Serena made small talk. There really wasn't much to say, since all three knew that Ash and Serena would be leaving the next day. That truth hung in the air like a cloud of toxic gas.

Eventually, once the pizza had cooled down enough, dinner was served, and Ash, Delia, and Serena sat down to eat.

"So, Serena", Delia said, "why did you decide to go on a journey with Ash? There are plenty of trainers who undertake solo journeys, you know".

Ash felt slightly offended at that. He loved his mother, but he wished that she could have been a little more careful with the way she'd phrased that question. The way she _had_ said it almost seemed to imply that she didn't think Ash was worthy of journeying with someone like Serena Courtland.

"Well, Ash just seems so nice" the girl replied. "He's really genuine, you know?"

 _Thanks for doing that damage control, Serena,_ Ash thought, although he didn't say it out loud. He didn't want his mother to think she'd said anything wrong, because he didn't want her to feel guilty.

"That's good" Delia replied. "Where do you guys think you'll be going?"

"Well", Serena said, "we'll probably start by going up Route 212 to Hearthome City. Then maybe Oreburgh City, Jubilife City, Eterna City, and Snowpoint City. I want to take down all the gym leaders; isn't becoming a Pokemon Master what both of us want?"

"I suppose it is" Ash replied. "I also want to see the world, too".

"Oh, we'll definitely get to do that" the girl told him. "I mean, Sinnoh's a large region, and I want to make sure we get all the gym leaders there first. But then we'll head down to Kanto, maybe".

"Sounds good to me" Delia replied. "I always wanted to go on a journey when I was younger, but I never really got to. By the time I was your age, I didn't have any hope left of doing so".

"Really?" asked Ash. "Why not?"

"It was mostly due to lack of funds" his mother told him. "Besides, I still had school, and I still really wanted to be a nurse. Those two career paths were just always in conflict, Pokemon Master and nurse. You know which one I picked".

It was true; Delia Ketchum was a registered nurse, working at the nearby Pokemon Center in the town of Izola, which was right next to Gardenia. Having assumed that her son would be leaving on a journey, she'd called in sick to work that day so that she could spend more time with Ash.

"Yeah" Ash replied. "Well, you know that I only ever wanted to be a Pokemon Master. It's not like I had any other big career ambitions".

"I know" Delia said. "You've always been the adventurous type; I was not, and, on some level, I always knew that I just wouldn't have the courage to commit to it. It just wasn't in the cards for me, and it was never going to be".

The three of them ate in silence for a while after that. Occasionally, one small question would be asked of one of them, but the conversation here was nothing worth noting, which is why I will spare you the details of what was said.

Eventually, once dinner was over, Ash and Serena went down into the basement to play _Poke Kart 8_ on his Funtendo Zii X. It was his favorite video game, just because it was so fast-paced and energetic, exactly like Ash himself.

Serena, on the other hand, was far less skilled. It took her a great deal of practice to steer using the Zii Remote, and she kept falling off of the ledges. Ash knew that, had they been staying here, Serena could have come over to his house whenever she had wanted, and eventually get better at the game.

Of course, that wasn't going to happen, since they were leaving tomorrow on a trip that might not see them visiting home again for many months. There was no guarantee that Serena would ever be able to play _Poke Kart 8_ again, but, really, who cared about that? It was just a video game, and there were more important things in life than video games.

Ash found himself on the verge of tears as they were playing online races, however. He was very disappointed by one fact, one fact that was absolutely, irresolutely true: He'd be ditching his mother at the age of sixteen.

 _It's a wonder she agreed to this at all,_ he thought.

Ash wasn't scared of being away from home. Indeed, he'd gone to several years of summer camp, and he'd had to live away from home for that time. It hadn't seemed like that big of a deal after a while, and he'd written letters to home, just like any other camper.

However, he knew that this journey was different from a three-week stint at summer camp. This time, he'd be away for an indeterminate length of time, something that would definitely worry his mother at the prospect of it.

 _And I'll be saying good-bye to her. She'll be all alone._

Even as he was gaming with Serena, he couldn't help but think about something else, something far worse that had happened to Delia over a decade ago.

Ash had only been two or three years old when it had happened, so he had very limited memory of his father. Ron Ketchum had, like many abusive partners, been very kind to Delia when she'd first gotten to know him, but, the day after they got married, turned out to be a huge jerk.

Ash was grateful to not remember much of it, because, from what his mother had told him, it hadn't been pleasant. According to Delia, there had been a lot of arguing, a lot of manipulation, and even some hitting on his father's part.

 _Yeah, I'm glad I don't remember too much of that,_ Ash thought. _Who would want to, anyway?_

Eventually, Ron had left the family, which, in Ash's opinion, was good riddance. He was glad that his father was out of their lives now, and, it seemed, forever. The lives of him and his mother would be greatly improved as a result.

 _She's already had one man leave her,_ Ash thought. _Once her son leaves her, she's going to feel pretty lonely._

Part of Ash could already see it happening. She'd grieve over her son, who had willingly left her, just the same way her ex-husband had. Nearly inconsolable, she'd eventually meet some man who would fill the gap Ash had left for her. Over time, she'd one day forget about her son, or at least become numb to his absence.

 _I really hope that doesn't happen,_ Ash thought.

 _But what if it does?,_ a voice inside his head told him. _You'll never know until it happens._

 _Ah, shut the fuck up,_ Ash told the voice. _She's going to remember me, because I'm going to stay in contact with her all the way._

Luckily, after that, he was able to silence the voice, but he did worry slightly. If he really was hearing voices like that inside of his head, maybe it would be best for him to see a doctor about that.

 _Eh, I'll wait until they get worse. Once I'm on my journey, that is._

Fortunately, health care, both physical and mental, for trainers wasn't that expensive. If you showed your trainer's license, they would see you for a very small fee. If Ash really needed to, he wouldn't have much trouble getting seen.

Even as Ash was having these thoughts, he was somehow able to focus on _Poke Kart 8_ as well. He didn't know how he was able to multitask so effectively, but he certainly wasn't complaining. He was having a great time with Serena, and he knew that, the next day, they would have many more good times together, and every day after that on their journey.

After they had played roughly ten or twelve online races (Ash hadn't bothered to count), Serena told him that it was time for her to leave.

 _Maybe,_ a voice inside Ash's head told him, _the reason she's leaving is because she wants a respite, however short from being with you. After all, starting tomorrow, she's going to be with you constantly._

He tried telling the voice in his head to shut the fuck up again, but it didn't work. Not well enough. Even as he said the following words to Serena, he kept thinking that he was meaning to say something else.

"Okay, Serena. Thanks for hanging out with me. I'll see you in the morning".

Serena smiled. "Get some rest, Ash. You're going to need it".

* * *

Elsewhere in the region of Sinnoh, there was a small mountain in the middle of the Coronet Range. Indeed, it was close to the geographic center of Sinnoh, a sparsely populated area with _far_ more trees than people.

It was the middle of the night. Here, unlike in the massive metropolis that was Jubilife City, it was possible to see a sky full of stars. No matter who you are, or where you live, there is nothing more majestic.

However, somewhere in this range, there was a large group of people, many of whom had not seen the night sky (or, for that matter, the _day_ sky) in a very long time.

They were members of an evil organization, one whose very name sparks fear and hatred among Pokemon and their trainers, as well as anyone who cares about Pokemon rights at all. Their name was Team Rocket.

Team Rocket's main branch was located in Kanto, but they had different headquarters all over the world, including a branch in Sinnoh, the headquarters for which was inside of the small mountain mentioned above.

In the middle of said mountain, there was a dormitory room of sorts. Because it was nighttime, the room was dark as could be, but, come daytime, the lights would only function somewhat dimly.

In fact, that was the way it was in the whole base. The lights, while they did work well, weren't that bright, and sometimes you had to squint in order to be able to see a piece of paper and do whatever work you were trying to focus on.

Really, it wasn't that bad once your eyes had adjusted to it, but, for the newcomer to the Sinnoh headquarters of Team Rocket, it could be quite irritating indeed.

One wolf Pokemon, a genetically engineered one, was currently asleep in his bed in the dormitory. This room was meant for two people, and the two people there just so happened to be brothers.

Suddenly, Wendell Hague's phone rang, causing said wolf to wake up. The ringtone was "Devil In A Midnight Mass" by Billy Talonflame, which was a very effective tune to get Wendell up and at them.

"Yes?" Wendell asked sleepily once he had answered the phone.

"Hello, this is Leader Vinaka" said the voice on the other end. It really did sound like it was Orkun Vinaka, even though Wendell had been skeptical at first. Perhaps the guy wasn't a morning person, and that was why his voice was the way it was.

"What do you want?" the wolf said in an exasperated tone. "It's one in the morning".

"Yes, but I have something very important to tell you" Vinaka replied. "And it can't be in the presence of your brother, although it applies to him as well".

This confused Wendell. "Why would you tell me something that also applies to Tendai, but not tell him that as well?"

"There's no time to explain. Now get the hell over here".

"All right" the wolf replied.

Cracking his back slightly, Wendell managed to get up from his bed. He really wasn't a morning person, preferring to sleep in. When he was a teenager, he'd known that, and wished that it would be different. But now, he was 23 years of age, and he still didn't like getting up early. He didn't think he'd ever get used to this.

He swung his legs over the side of his bed and allowed his feet to touch the floor. "All right" he said quietly, so as not to wake his younger brother. "Bring it on".

Wendell tiptoed over to the door to the dormitory and then left the room, entering the greater part of the Team Rocket base.

Owing to the fact that it was inside of a mountain, the air smelled earthy, in a way, even though it was continuously being recirculated. Otherwise, the people inside would slowly suffocate and die, not a way anyone wanted to go out.

The lights were on very dimly at this time of the night; virtually everyone was asleep. A few people, mainly those working in the hospital part of the base, had to work at night, but they'd typically trade out for others during the day so that nobody got too overworked.

 _That's one thing I like about this place,_ Wendell thought. _Even if it's not the most ideal setting, everyone here does their part. We work together. We're all one big family._

Wendell, as a specially engineered Pokemon specifically for Team Rocket's purposes, did not feel empathy in the same way that normal humans did. However, he did have a sense that everyone in Team Rocket was in this together.

That being the case, the sheer immorality of what he was doing as a member of Team Rocket, capturing, experimenting on, and even killing Pokemon, had not yet sunk in for him, because that was simply the way he'd been designed.

It hadn't sunk in yet. It never _would_ sink in, because the Team Rocket scientists who had designed Wendell and Tendai Hague left no stone unturned. They had always been bound and determined to create ruthless creatures, and that was what they got.

Wendell eventually did reach Leader Vinaka's office. On his door, one made of the same material you might find in any public school, there was a small golden plaque that read _ORKUN VINAKA, LEADER OF TEAM ROCKET, SINNOH BRANCH._

Wendell knocked on the door, was told to enter, and did so. As soon as he got inside, he saw that Leader Vinaka was sitting behind his desk as always, eating a piece of key lime pie.

"You sent for me" the wolf said. "What did you want?"

Vinaka scratched his Mr. Monopoly mustache, looking deep in thought as he did so. "Well", he said, "there is something I'd like you to do for me".

Normally, when someone said that there was something they wanted you to do for them, you were about to get saddled with a whole list of chores. Wendell's arms were already aching at the thought of all the floor he'd have to scrub. It wasn't a fun job, but _someone_ had to do it.

"What is that?" Wendell asked, dreading the answer.

To his great surprise, Vinaka did not give him a list of chores. It was a relief at first, because at least he wouldn't be scrubbing toilets again. And then…

"I want you to go on a mission with your brother".

Wendell's heart leaped. He'd left the base occasionally, but only to go outside briefly. If he was being sent on an actual combat mission…

There were parts of him that were slightly jittery at the thought of having to fight for his life. At the same time, that was what he was _born_ to do. He was determined that he would not let Team Rocket down, because that was where his highest loyalty was.

"What is the mission for?" he asked Vinaka.

"It's to locate, capture, and bring Lucas Whitefur to this base" the man who so resembled Mr. Monopoly replied. "He's Target Number One for us".

Wendell was floored at the prospect. For him to be chosen for this task was beyond his wildest dreams. It was common knowledge throughout the base that catching Lucas Whitefur was their number one goal, but it hadn't yet been decided who would take up the job of hunting him down.

 _I can't believe they think me to be the most worthy of that task._

"Yes" replied Vinaka. "The two of you will leave at first light. Do you need a picture of who you are after?"

Wendell knew very well what Lucas Whitefur was supposed to look like, but he said "Yes".

Vinaka handed Wendell a photograph of a tall, white-furred Lucario who was smiling at the camera. With his right arm held up slightly, as though he were waiting to be called on in class, he looked very friendly indeed. He appeared as someone you'd want to hang out and play video games with, not someone they were trying to hunt down.

His eyes, rather than being red like those of a normal Lucario, were a very bright blue color, roughly #93D2FC, meaning that there were 147 parts red, 210 parts green, and 252 parts blue in them. (Wendell could tell this because he'd been programmed that way).

In the picture, Lucas Whitefur was wearing a small, golden yellow scarf with a pattern on it that was similar to a ship's rope. In fact, the whole scarf looked vaguely nautical in some way, with white, wavy patterns among the yellow. The scarf was definitely the most distinguishable feature of the Lucario.

"Good luck. Like I said, you leave at first light" Vinaka told him. "Now go and wake your brother".

* * *

 **To envision the scarf that Lucas Whitefur wears, look up "Maku Maku buff" in Google Images, and you'll see what I mean. I wear my Maku Maku buff all the time, and it's one of my favorites.**

 **So, yeah. If you want to talk to me on Discord, I am SnowLucario#5443.**

 **See you guys next time.**


	5. And So It Begins

**I decided, from here on out, I'm going to publish chapters at most every other day. I want to give you guys some time to read it before I post the next one. Here's the fifth chapter out of a planned 50, so we are theoretically ten percent of the way through this story.**

 **We're at 16 reviews, which is really nice. I hope that more people will follow this story so that they know when a chapter is up, because my schedule will not always be consistent.**

 **Enjoy the chapter!**

 **(Music: Gold by Imagine Dragons)**

* * *

Wendell didn't wait around. He wasn't necessarily scared of Leader Vinaka; after all, he knew him quite well. However, he knew better than to cross the wishes of Orkun Vinaka. That just wasn't something you did and got away with, not unless you had a _very_ good reason.

He didn't have any reasons. Indeed, if they really were going to leave at first light, that was only a couple of hours from now. Checking his watch, he saw that it was 1:47 in the morning.

 _Probably about three and a half hours to prepare,_ he thought to himself. _Or maybe more like three. It depends - does first light mean nautical dawn or sunrise?_

Whatever the case, time was of the essence. He quickly made his way back through the various corridors of the Team Rocket base and back towards the dormitory he shared with Tendai.

The whole place seemed as though it was unable to decide if it was natural or artificial; there were obviously parts of each in the structure. On the whole, however, it certainly looked more like the latter.

He found the plaque that said _WENDELL HAGUE/TENDAI HAGUE._ He opened the door to find that his brother was still sleeping. This wasn't a surprise, since it was still early in the morning.

Wendell thought that he knew the perfect way to get his brother to wake up. He could have just tapped him on the shoulder, but he knew the most irritating way possible to do it...something that would be quite funny indeed.

Getting his phone, the same one that had woken him up with the alarm, he set it to play "Brony Style (Ima Pedophile)" on maximum volume. If that wasn't enough to wake up Tendai, nothing would, as Wendell knew that his younger brother hated the song with a burning passion.

Within five seconds of Wendell pressing the "play" button on the screen, Tendai promptly sat up in bed. He looked around irritably, wondering where his least favorite song was coming from.

Then he saw his older brother, smiling, clearly trying not to laugh, and he narrowed his eyes further.

"WENDELL!" Tendai shrieked. "You know how much I hate that song! Why did you play it to wake me up?"

"I'll tell you in a moment" Wendell replied, trying his best to stay calm in spite of how difficult that was. "But right now, we've got to get going. Up and at 'em, Tendai, because we have to leave at five".

Tendai looked over at the clock on the wall. "But it's not even two yet! You know I'm not a morning person, Wendell!"

"Well, neither am I, Tendai", his older brother replied, "but Vinaka gave us a mission, and we've got to leave at sunrise. So pack up your things, whatever you think you might need, because we've got to get the fuck out of here".

"But what sort of mission?" the younger brother asked. "Wendell, you know that I'm not good at getting motivated early in the morning!"

Wendell thought he knew of a way to get his younger brother riled up and excited. He would only need to mention the name of their target, and then Tendai would be very eager indeed to get going.

"Lucas Whitefur" the older brother replied. "We're going to catch Lucas Whitefur. That is the goal of this organization, after all".

Instantly, Tendai's brown ears perked up, and he started looking a lot more enthusiastic about this mission. Even so, he looked slightly confused at the same time.

"Why _us?"_ he replied. "It just doesn't make sense. Isn't that a really prestigious job?"

"Trust me, it is" said Wendell. "Really, we should take it as a compliment, that Vinaka trusts us so much that he'll let us do it. They don't give that honor to just anyone".

"Indeed they don't" Tendai said. "Well, I guess I had better get ready, then".

Really, they didn't need to pack much. Because they were Pokemon, the two of them technically didn't need to wear clothes. Their fur would cover all of their private parts, so it wasn't necessary.

It took all of five minutes, and only five minutes, to gather what they needed for the mission. They only packed a few things, such as their phones and laptops, so that they could try to track Lucas Whitefur's location. They also packed some rations, lightweight but high-energy provisions so that they could maximize the little space they had. Other than that, they'd have to live off the land or forage for food.

 _I'm ready to suffer for this,_ Wendell decided. He could only hope that his brother was feeling the same way.

As soon as Wendell and Tendai were both ready to leave, they sat around waiting for five o'clock to come. Sunrise was technically at 5:06 AM, but this part of the mission wasn't so delicate as to be possibly thrown off by having a couple of minutes' difference from the actual time.

Tendai, so sluggish at the prospect of getting up just half an hour ago, had become fairly restless. Wendell knew that his brother was just as brutal as he was, because that was the way they'd both been designed. It was not in their nature to forgive and forget, or to understand pleading or excuses. When it was time for them to capture and kill, they would do it quickly, willingly, and without any hesitation.

Wendell was feeling restless as well. For most of his life, he'd been perfectly happy staying inside this large base, with very little to do that wasn't related to Team Rocket. Now, all he wanted was to get out of here.

He wasn't feeling any less loyal to Team Rocket. On the contrary, being assigned such a prestigious mission had only increased his commitment to be with the organization to the end. On some level, he knew that the tasks he was being called on to perform were immoral.

He just didn't care.

* * *

Ash sat bolt upright in bed, clutching his chest. It wasn't hurting, but he was feeling short of breath after the dream he'd just had.

Yes, it had been a weird dream. There had been two wolf brothers, both brown and quite tall, and they were talking about some sort of mission that they would be going on.

At first, the idea seemed laughable to Ash. To anyone else, it would feel laughable for quite a while, but Ash had already had a dream about the very same place.

 _Orkun Vinaka and Team Rocket's Sinnoh branch are going after Lucas Whitefur._

It was as though there had been a slide puzzle in his head, with the pieces moving around constantly, and a row or column had been completed, enabling Ash to see things a little more clearly.

 _I was able to piece that part together,_ he thought. _Aren't I so awesome?_

Ash wasn't normally one to have a large ego, but he was able to congratulate himself for that without feeling too bad. He'd finally been able to logic something out that made just a little sense, and, as stated above, he could see more thoroughly what was happening.

 _Lucas Whitefur is a white-furred Lucario. Okay, there's no surprise there. But there's something else…_

 _What are they going after him for? That bright yellow scarf? No, it can't be that._

 _They want to see why he has white fur. That makes a lot more sense to me._

The metaphorical mental slide puzzle had just completed another row in Ash's brain, and it was becoming easier and easier to see where he was going with this. If Lucas Whitefur fell into the hands of Team Rocket, his life would be in serious danger. Ash knew what they did to exotic Pokemon of any species, and it wasn't good.

 _Again, I have to find him and warn him somehow. At least now I know what he looks like._

That was a minor comfort, it was true, but he was looking for any lead he had. Only once he'd found Lucas Whitefur would he be able to relax, even for a second.

 _But I can't dwell too much on that,_ he thought to himself. _After all, I have a journey to start today._

All of the excitement he'd had over the last few days was magnified by a factor of ten. In just a few short hours, he'd be leaving with Serena on a life-changing adventure, and they'd be able to take on all the gym leaders and become Pokemon Masters.

He tried not to get too far ahead of himself, though; he knew that it would be a very long time before that happened. Right now, he was just glad he was going to get to see the world at last.

Ash went downstairs and found that, just like she had been yesterday, his mother was cooking breakfast in the kitchen. This time, she was making Kalos toast, his favorite breakfast food. He realized that this must have been in recognition of the fact that he was leaving today.

"Morning, Ash" his mother said as she heard him entering the kitchen.

"Good morning, Mom" Ash replied. "I see you're making Kalos toast today, huh?"

"Yeah" Delia replied, sounding somewhat wistful (not without reason). "It's just because you're leaving today, and I wanted your last breakfast at home to be special".

"Don't worry, Mom" her son said. "I'm going to come home to visit at some point".

He realized, too late, that he should not have said _at some point._ Those words could be taken to mean that it wouldn't be a priority for him. That visiting his mother again, consoling her that he was still alive and well, wasn't going to be at the very top of his to-do list.

"Thanks, Ash" Delia told her son. "That means a lot to me".

Throughout the previous day, Ash had been rehearsing to himself the conversation that he'd be having with his mother on the morning that he left. He'd gone as far as to decide that he'd squeeze as many words in as possible once he was actually there.

However, now that he really was sitting across from his mother at the breakfast table, his earlier plans went out the window. He was far too deep in thought to even think about speaking to her about mundane matters.

The fact was that today, he'd be leaving on a trip all over Sinnoh, and, most likely, eventually Kanto and other regions beyond it. He might not come back for weeks, months, or even years.

 _Or,_ he thought, _I might not come back at all…_

Nah, he'd come back. He'd be able to be with his mother once more, perhaps stay a couple nights, perhaps even with a few friends he may have found along the way. And it would be just the same as before.

 _No,_ a voice inside his head told him. _It won't be the same as before._

He knew that with absolute certainty. If he did return home, it wouldn't be just like how it had been before. It would be far different, with Ash hoping that it hadn't changed to the point that he couldn't have a very strong bond with his mother still.

But, one way or another, Ash would never be the same again.

He tried to hold back the tears, but he knew that it wouldn't be easy. Perhaps it wasn't too late to make up his mind. Perhaps he could indeed stay here, safe with his mother.

He was about to voice this when his mother clearly noticed that Ash was tearing up.

"Listen, Ash", she told her son. "You don't have to do this if you don't want to".

She didn't understand; she was making him feel worse, not better. She was only making him doubt his earlier decision more.

"No" he replied. "I'm doing this. I already told Serena".

Suddenly, Delia stood up from the table and held her arms out for a hug. Ash gladly accepted them, and the two of them stood in each other's embrace for a full minute.

"You'll call home frequently, I hope?" Delia asked him.

"Yeah" Ash replied. "You can count on it. I'm not going to say goodbye for good. How could I live with myself if I did that?"

"I love you so much, Ash. You'll never know how much I appreciated getting to raise you for these sixteen years".

Ash smiled back at his mother. "Thanks" he replied. "It's been an honor to be your son".

Now his mother was the one to start crying. "You should probably go and meet Serena soon" she said. "I hope you have all your Pokeballs in order".

"Good reminder".

Ten minutes later, Ash had done all he needed to do in the house. He'd gotten stickers and written the names of his Pokemon on their respective Pokeballs. Now, he knew which Pokeball belonged to Coyopa and which one belonged to Levu.

He had agreed with Serena that they would leave as early as they could, right after breakfast, in order to escape the worst of the summer heat. They'd walk as far as they could before it got _too_ hot, and then spend the rest of the day at a Pokemon Center.

 _If we only travel in the morning,_ he thought, _then we might not get where we're going anywhere close to quickly._

He couldn't worry about that right now. The length of time that it took to get one place or another wasn't important at the moment; what mattered was that they would get there at some point.

Ash allowed himself one last look at the house he'd grown up in. Almost immediately, he wished he hadn't done so.

As soon as he turned around, he saw how welcoming the house looked. It was as though it was beckoning him, telling him that he should come back, that he should keep living with his mother. He could go home, head into the basement to play video games, and forget that he'd ever had ambitions to go on a journey.

He could have done that. But no way in hell was he _actually_ going to.

 _To put it one way, I've made my bed, and now I'm going to lie in it,_ Ash thought as he walked away from his house. He did look back a few minutes later, but now his home was out of sight.

It would be roughly another five minutes before he reached Serena's house if he kept walking at his current pace, but Ash decided that he didn't want to wait that long for company, something he was greatly desiring.

He pressed the buttons on the Pokeballs, and, almost immediately, in two identical flashes of the typical cyan light, Coyopa and Levu appeared in front of him, right on the sidewalk. Coyopa looked very energetic and willing to travel to the ends of the Earth with Ash. He seemed very eager indeed about this journey.

The Leafeon, on the other hand, looked at Ash with a look of mild loathing. It was clear to see that he didn't want to go on this journey at all, but felt as though Ash were making him do it.

 _Which, to be fair, I kind of am._

"Morning, guys" Ash said.

"Why did you let me out of my Pokeball?" Levu asked irritably. "It's so hot here".

It was true. It was only roughly seven in the morning, but it was already, according to Ash's watch, 77 degrees outside. At this time of year, it got very hot very quickly in the mornings.

"Because", Ash replied, "I want you to meet Serena Courtland, my friend. She'll be traveling with us on this trip, so I expect both of you to be on your best behavior".

"Will do, sir" Coyopa replied.

"That means", Ash continued, "that you won't trample all over her family's furniture. And also, Levu, you are going to be as enthusiastic as possible about this, you got that?"

Levu still looked as though he hated Ash's guts, but he eventually gave a slight, almost imperceptible nod. He clearly didn't want to do this, and Ash wondered why he was that way. He supposed that he'd have a lot more time to ask him that, since, for better or worse, they would be together almost nonstop over the next few months.

 _But would Levu tell me the truth?_

The walk to Serena's house, from there on out, passed mostly in silence. There was some deep breathing, even though Ash and his Pokemon were all in pretty good shape; it was just that the air was only getting hotter.

Serena lived at the top of a steep hill near the park he'd gone to with her two days before, where he'd first considered the idea of a journey and asked her if she'd wanted to do it. She'd said yes almost without hesitation, which almost made Ash wonder if anything else was going on at home that made her want to leave. He didn't think so, somehow.

Even though Ash was a pretty active, energetic individual, he was still slightly short of breath by the time he reached the top of the hill, where the Courtland house was. Levu seemed the same way; Coyopa, on the other hand, looked as though he could do this all day without breaking a sweat.

"Where are we going to go, Ash?" Levu asked his master.

"What do you mean?"

"On the journey?" Levu continued.

"Oh" Ash replied. He wasn't one hundred percent sure _where_ they were going to go first; all he knew was that he wanted to get all the Sinnoh badges before moving on to the regions located to the south of Sinnoh.

He didn't want to admit that he didn't know; if he did, that would only give Levu more reason to be reluctant to go with him. He might need to have the Leafeon constantly in his Pokeball so that he wouldn't flee the group, because that sounded as though it might turn into a very real risk.

Ash knocked on Serena's door, and, within a few seconds, the girl herself came to the door, looking as stunningly beautiful as always. She was wearing sneakers and clothes that looked very fitting indeed for walking long distances. This was, of course, something Ash was grateful for; Serena was prepared for this.

"You ready to go?" Ash asked her.

She smiled at him, which clearly meant yes. Unlike Ash, she already had all of her Pokemon (which was only one so far) out of their Pokeballs. Kalokalo was standing next to her, looking very excited indeed.

"Want to come inside and meet my parents?" she asked him right after nodding.

At first, Ash wanted to say yes. He was fully prepared to do so; after all, it would be nice for her parents to get to say goodbye to Ash one last time; Ash was pretty good friends with Serena's parents as well.

But then he remembered that, the longer he tried to hang onto everyone in his life here in Gardenia, the harder it would be to let go when the time for that did come.

"No thanks" he replied. "Is that okay with you?"

Serena nodded, and then she and Kalokalo stepped outside.

 _And so it begins,_ Ash thought. _This great adventure, unlike any other._

 _The adventure of a lifetime._


	6. The Quarrel

**Yeah, this is a short chapter, but then, they've all been short so far. As of the next chapter, we should pass the 20,000-word mark.**

 **Also, yesterday was my half-birthday. There's that. I am now 18 and 6 months old. Time really does fly, since I was two weeks shy of my 16th birthday when I joined this site. Sometimes it feels like that day was just yesterday.**

 **In any case, enjoy the chapter!**

 **Current music: Shake It Out by Florence + The Machine**

* * *

For some reason, Ash had expected everything to feel more majestic, somehow, once he had left on the trip. Now that it had officially begun, he had figured that it would feel almost magical, in a way.

However, it felt just like any other morning at first. People were walking about, going about their morning errands, doing whatever it seemed that they needed to do. It was just an ordinary day to them, but, to Ash and Serena, it was extraordinary.

Ash still had the occasional temptation to tell Serena that maybe they should go back and say goodbye to their parents one last time, but he decided against it.. He knew that the longer they put off actually leaving, the harder it would be to actually leave when the time did come for that.

"So", Serena asked Ash after about five minutes of walking, "where are we going first?"

Ash had given this question _some_ thought, to be sure, but he wasn't fully decided on this. And that was probably a bad thing, because he knew Serena would want him to seem confident; it would make her feel more so as well.

"I was thinking we'd head for Hearthome City first" he told her. "So we'd head down Route 212".

"That's not a bad idea" she replied. "If we're going to hit all the major cities in Sinnoh eventually, that's one way to go about it".

It was then agreed between them that, at the end of their day, when they were relaxing at a Pokemon Center, they would consult a map and draw out their planned route, just for the sake of peace of mind. Ash didn't want to forget it, but he knew that his memory was probably good enough to remember the route that he wanted to take.

They eventually made their way into downtown Gardenia. Strictly speaking, this _was_ on the way to Route 212. Like a highway, it had exits near many towns every mile or two.

Gardenia was a small, cute town that looked relatively old-fashioned, but not too much so. Ivy was growing on many of the structures, including the bank that Ash had been to with his mother just yesterday. He looked at that building once more and thought about just how _boring_ it had been with his mother.

The previous evening, after Serena had left, Delia Ketchum had given her son the bank card, which worked in every Bank of Sinnoh location that there was. He only needed to insert the card into the slot, and then he could make a deposit or withdrawal from his account.

"You've got $30,403 in that account right now" Delia had said. "They recommend setting aside a certain amount for your child, just in case they want to go on a journey like you are doing".

"That sounds like a good idea" Ash replied. "How did you know that I might want to go on a journey, though?"

"You just always seemed like the adventurous type" his mother had told him. "There were always small signs that might have pointed to that".

Ash had nodded at that, and he'd read up more about the practice of setting aside money for journeys. The road to become a Pokemon Master was a difficult and expensive one, but, for a lucky (or determined, depending on how you looked at it) few, it was well worth it, as Pokemon Masters tended to become very wealthy.

It wasn't the riches that Ash craved so much. It was the adventure and prestige that he wanted.

Now, he was finally getting to live his dream. He was with Serena, his friend (and maybe something more than just a friend), and now he was going to get to travel the world and take on the various gym leaders.

Somehow, nothing felt special; everything felt normal. He supposed that he'd eventually feel like he had actually hit the jackpot, but _clearly not yet._

The downtown section of Gardenia consisted of the bank, the Staryubucks coffee shop, and a small line of businesses, such as a Jubilife City-style deli, a martial arts studio, a hair salon or two, and a church next to a train station. That was pretty much it.

Yes, it was a small town, but Ash had always liked how it had a certain charm to it for being such a small town. It was something that you had to live there in order to appreciate, or at least somewhere like it.

"How are you doing?" Ash decided to ask Serena eventually. They'd crossed the bridge that went over the railroad tracks, and now they were only about half to three-quarters of a mile from the entrance to Route 212.

"I'm doing well. Pretty excited, to be honest with you".

Ash nodded, smiling. He was glad that Serena wasn't regretting her decision to go with him, at least not yet.

They passed suburban homes, both large and small. Gardenia seemed to stretch on forever when you were walking on foot; Ash had rarely ever done so in this part of the town, instead being driven by his mother. He didn't have a driver's license and probably never would.

It got warmer and warmer as the sun climbed over the various houses, and before long Ash could feel himself starting to sweat. All three of their Pokemon had been let out of their Pokeballs so that they could enjoy a nice morning stroll, but Ash could tell that that may have been a mistake.

Kalokalo tapped Serena on the shoulder. The Piplup had to jump in order to do so, because Serena was a tall girl, while Piplup was...not a tall species.

"What is it?" asked Serena.

"I'm getting really hot" Kalokalo replied. "Could you please put me back in my Pokeball?"

Without hesitation, Serena nodded, looking slightly guilty. Taking out her Pokeball, which, like Ash's, had a sticker on it with the name _Kalokalo_ written on said sticker, she pressed the button.

There was the flash of red light, and then the Piplup was recalled into his Pokeball, leaving a great deal of sweat behind. The sidewalk looked almost as though someone had taken a hose to it.

"You look like you feel bad about it" Ash told Serena.

The girl nodded. "I should have known better than to have him outside of his Pokeball on such a hot day. I checked the weather forecast earlier, and it's going to be quite a scorcher. Plus, Kal's an Ice type, so there's that".

 _Of course,_ Ash thought. Given that Kalokalo was an Ice type Pokemon, he'd be far more susceptible to hot weather than the average Pokemon. He silently cursed himself for choosing to leave on the journey in June.

"He'll have to get used to it eventually" Ash said. "It's summer, and it's going to be summer for quite a while".

Serena responded by looking at Ash with an angry expression. "You know what? You sound like an abusive trainer when you say that!"

At those words, Levu seemed to flinch slightly.

"I do?" Ash asked.

"Yeah, you do, to be honest. You sound like someone who wants to work their Pokemon way too hard, work them to the point that they get heat stroke or something. _It is not okay"._

 _Love me or hate me, I just told the cold facts,_ Ash thought. _He's going to need to get accustomed to this heat, or else he'll only be a burden further down the road._

"Sorry" Ash replied. "It's just that…".

"No excuses" Serena said shortly. "Or else I'm going to go back home, and you can go on your journey yourself".

 _Just when I'd thought she was eager to do this, she says that…_

It was true; his comments about Kalokalo needing to get used to the heat _were_ insensitive. Certainly, it wasn't the right time to bring it up.

They walked the last half mile before Route 212 in silence. Neither of them had any desire to say anything, and, in any case, it was quite awkward between Ash and Serena at the moment. Even if Ash had wanted to say anything, he'd look over at Serena almost immediately and regret getting that idea.

Eventually, they did enter Route 212, and Ash breathed a sigh of relief. Now, if they had a large quarrel with each other, it was likely that nobody would witness it but for them and their Pokemon.

Ash's awe at the adventure he was beginning was renewed as he looked at the road ahead. It wasn't particularly spectacular, just a dusty dirt road thirty feet wide, but, to Ash, it was his golden ticket to a great adventure, unlike any other.

 _The adventure of a lifetime._

* * *

The Team Rocket base had been purposely built inside of a smaller mountain so as not to attract too much attention from above. Fortunately, the whole place was built to be as bomb-proof as possible. The steel that encased the entire base was of the highest quality imaginable, and you can't move a mountain.

This, of course, meant that it was time-consuming to get in or out. There was a set of three steel circular doors that was the only route to the outside world, and, in order to pass each door, you needed to enter a code.

Of course, the members of Team Rocket's Sinnoh branch had had said code ingrained in their memories since they were toddlers. There were actually three seven-digit codes, one for each door, so, on top of remembering all three codes, you had to remember which code went with which door. Tricky stuff.

In the case that they were caught and interrogated, each member of Team Rocket who went on a mission took with them a poisonous pill. If they were caught, they would need to swallow the pill, which would cause instant death. They'd been assured that it would be painless, too.

The reason should have been obvious. If they were captured and interrogated, they couldn't risk betraying the other members of Team Rocket. Everybody here was willing to die for everybody else, and that was another reason that Wendell Hague felt as though Team Rocket's Sinnoh branch was one big family.

"The first code is one, six, five, two, seven, nine, one" said Tendai, punching in each number as he said it. He then pressed the green button, and the door opened.

"All right. One down, two to go" he said breathlessly.

Tendai, for a 20-year-old, had a certain level of childish enthusiasm for the mission. He'd rarely ever ventured outside of the base before, and now he was going to get to. Even if the mission would be highly dangerous, it was something he was very much looking forward to, getting to see the world.

"Do you need help remembering the others?" asked Wendell.

"I have a certain amount of cognitive capacity that allows me to remember seven-digit numbers, Wendel" Tendai replied crossly, punching in the second code. As he did so, he said the number out loud: "Five, six, two, one, nine, six, eight".

The second door opened, leaving behind it a short amount of hallway before the third door. Next to the door was the third and final keypad.

"Seven, nine, zero, zero, eight, three five" said Tendai as he entered the third and final code. The last door sprang to life and opened, and the two wolf brothers entered into the morning light.

Almost immediately, both had to cover their eyes. They'd spent so much time underground that adjusting to natural light once more was going to be difficult. Indeed, the first light, even though the sun was barely even up, was still very bright to them, since they'd been in the darkness for the last several months in a row.

"Man, I forgot just how _bright_ it is out here" said Wendell. "We really need to buy sunglasses".

"I doubt we can just go into a store and purchase them, though" Tendai replied. "You've got to remember the tattoos".

Every member of Team Rocket, whether human or Pokemon, had to get a tattoo of a black letter R in a visible location on their body. This was ostensibly so that you felt a certain level of loyalty to the group that you wouldn't otherwise.

"Yeah" Wendell said. "There is that small complication".

It wasn't safe for them to be out in the open and not moving, even in a rural area like this. No matter what, they had to always be moving, especially since they'd just come out of a mountain, something that, had someone else seen it, would have attracted a lot of attention.

The two of them set out through the woods. Orienting themselves based on the sun, they started walking south. They of course knew the basic principle that the sun rose in the east and set in the west, and they used their knowledge of that to know which way was south.

"Apparently he was last seen near the town of Gardenia" said Wendell. "That's just north of Pastoria City".

When Leader Vinaka had handed Wendell the photograph of Lucas Whitefur, the Wolf Pokemon had turned it over to find that, on the back, the last known location of the white-furred Lucario had been written.

"Gardenia, huh?" asked Tendai. "Should we head there first?"

"I suppose", Wendell replied, "that that's as good a place as any to start. But unless Whitefur's really stupid, he won't be there anymore, at least not for very much longer".

Tendai knew that his brother had a good point. It would take them a great deal of time on foot to reach Gardenia, and the tough part was that they couldn't travel any other way unless they managed to teleport. If they found a Kirlia or something somewhere, that might work.

"Well", said Tendai, "I guess we'll head for Route 212 first, maybe Hearthome City after that. We're going to search all of Sinnoh for him. We'll find Lucas Whitefur if it takes the rest of our lives".

* * *

The novelty of being on a journey, which Ash had found so suddenly, had worn off the way one falls asleep: Slowly, and then all at once.

At a certain point, Ash was getting fairly hot and tired. They'd been on the road for what must have been three hours or so. Three hours, multiplied by four and a half miles per hour or so (that was probably their average speed, given that both had fairly long legs but were not walking too quickly), indicated that they still had a long way to go.

No matter what, however, Ash knew that he wasn't going to complain to Serena. The two of them had barely spoken ever since they'd gotten into the argument about what Ash had said to Kalokalo about needing to get used to the heat, and, what was more, Ash didn't know if she was regretting her decision to go with him.

From Ash's perspective, even though they were only three hours out from Gardenia, that was still a pretty long way to walk back if they chose to take that route. Besides, he'd already given himself over to the idea of a long journey. He might not have been too excited about it anymore, but he knew that if he stopped now, he might regret it for the rest of his life.

"What is that in front of us?" Serena asked eventually, breaking the silence.

Ash was taken aback by the fact that she'd finally spoken after so long. He had been so confident, somehow, that he'd be the first one to talk after the long period of awkwardness in which they'd found themselves.

 _Apparently not. But, more to the point, what WAS that?_

Ash peered into the distance. This wasn't a difficult task, since the sun was at their backs and not directly in their eyes. As soon as he looked more closely, he thought he saw it.

"It's a Pokemon!" he exclaimed.

It appeared to be a jungle green color as they got closer. It was running in circles, just like Levu had been when Ash had first seen the Leafeon in the park back in Gardenia.

"Who should catch it?" Serena asked.

Ash didn't hesitate at all. "You can. It's only fair, since I have two Pokemon and you only have one".

"Are you trying to rub it in?" the girl replied irritably, reaching into her backpack and pulling out a Pokeball.

"That was never my intention" Ash replied. "I'm very sorry if you thought it was such".

"It's fine. Sorry I was so cross with you earlier, too".

 _Glad we've made up, then, if she's forgiving me that easily. I mean, I really should have said it in a better way...but it's whatever._

"Yes" replied Serena. "Let's get this guy!"

Serena sprinted up to the green Pokemon, which appeared to be an Ivysaur. It was running in circles, and Ash held up his PokeDex to it, one he'd had since he was ten, when he'd first gotten Coyopa from Professor Rowan.

"It's a male" he said. "But I suppose that doesn't matter right now, does it?"

Serena reached backwards as though she were going to throw a baseball pitch, except that instead of a baseball in her fair-skinned hands, it was a Pokeball.

"You have to time it right" said Ash. "Wait for the perfect moment, and, when you see it, throw it".

Serena did as Ash told her, waiting for the ideal moment. Then, when the Ivysaur was _about_ to be closest to her, she threw the Pokeball like a softball.

As soon as it landed on the ground, the Ivysaur was absorbed into the Pokeball with a flash of red light.

"Nice!" Ash exclaimed. "You caught him".

"Now we're even" Serena replied, chuckling. "I've got two, you've got two. That will probably put us in a good position for the first gym battle, won't it?"

"I suppose it will" Ash said in response. "We're going to have a whole army by the time we're Pokemon Masters".

"Don't count your chickens before they're hatched" Serena replied.

"Hey, I wasn't going to" the boy replied.

"Yes, you were" Serena said playfully, laughing. Her laugh sounded very pure for some reason, like it was coming from someone younger than her (Serena was fifteen).

"Whatever" Ash replied. "Let's just keep going. We've got a lot of ground to cover".


	7. Lucas Whitefur

**It's a sleepy Saturday afternoon, and I have presented you with another chapter. Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed this story so far, because it really means a lot to me.**

 **This is where the plot is going to thicken. I can't wait to see what you guys think of it.**

 **Current music: Road Less Traveled by Lauren Alaina**

* * *

It was turning into a very hot day on Route 212. So hot, in fact, that it was quite appropriate to say it was boiling, which was rather clever given that 212 is the temperature at which water boils.

As he made his way along the route, a white-furred Lucario was sweating a great deal. Not only was he hot and tired, he was also very frustrated.

In his backpack, he had six Pokeballs, the standard amount that a trainer should carry around with them at all times. However, he had no Pokemon to put in them; he'd thus far been unsuccessful in his efforts to catch them.

 _Well,_ he thought, _it's not as though I've had that many chances. They don't turn up here all the time._

Indeed, most of the Pokemon he'd be going after would probably be in the woods on a day like today. It was fairly unlikely that they'd want anything to do with the increasingly warm day.

Lucas didn't know exactly why he wanted to have a team, but he thought that part of it might have been because he wanted a sense of satisfaction. He wanted to experience the process of growing a team of Pokemon and being able to bring his dreams to fruition.

He also desired some form of protection. It wasn't news to Lucas that he had a target on his back. He always had, and he always would, thanks to the color of his fur, which really stuck out like a sore thumb. If he'd had a team of Pokemon to fight with, that would have been great.

 _But no,_ he thought. _I'm completely exposed here._

His mouth felt increasingly dry with every mile, and he knew that he would need to stop eventually. The question was, when would there be a good place to stop, preferably that was indoors?

Soon enough, Lucas had his answer. A brick building was now visible roughly half a mile ahead, and the Lucario thought that he recognized the sign on top of it.

 _It's a Staryubucks,_ he realized. _What I wouldn't give for a nice, cold cup of soymilk...well, now I'll get it!_

He didn't drink coffee, but he still very much liked coffee shops for their pastries and cold drinks. If he could get something that was a reprieve from the hot sun, beating down like nobody's business, that would be great.

Lucas entered the coffee shop and found that very few others were there. Nobody looked that suspicious, but then, that didn't mean anything.

He had to be careful. _They,_ poachers, often passed themselves off as ordinary people, just hanging out at the beach or playing a round of miniature golf...or here, enjoying a nice drink or pastry.

Really, it didn't take much to impersonate someone who wasn't a Team Rocket grunt. All you really needed to do was hide the tattoo of the letter R, as well as not wear the black shirt with a red R. It was that easy.

There were only two other patrons. One was a young man, probably in his twenties or so, looking at his laptop, perhaps doing some sort of project on it. He didn't look up at the sight of a six-foot-two, white-furred Lucario.

The other person was more of a cause for worry. She was a woman who looked to be in her fifties, with short hair and glasses. Most Team Rocket grunts were much younger than fifty, but some remained in good enough shape to do that. And then there were some who were double agents at that age, which this woman would have been if she was a member of Team Rocket.

So, why _was_ Lucas worried about this woman in particular?

Well, she kept glancing over at him as though she were amazed at the sight of him. Which would have been understandable (after all, you don't see a white-furred Lucario every day), except that her gaze looked almost malicious. Both ominous signs, but Lucas didn't want to attract more attention to himself. He wasn't going to leave this coffee shop without getting something to eat and drink, and, besides, he needed a break from the heat.

There was no line at the counter, so he simply walked up to the barista and said, "I'd like some soy milk and an old-fashioned glazed donut".

"That'll be $7.52, sir" replied the barista.

After Lucas paid for both of his items, he went to sit in an armchair next to the window. Really, if you could get around the fact that one of the people looked almost like a Team Rocket member, it wasn't a bad place to be.

The Staryubucks was right next to a bridge over a highway. From this perspective, Lucas could just barely see cars going by below, reminding him that time was still passing.

Another thing keeping him aware of the passage of time was the music that was playing in the coffee shop. It was set to the song, "Ghost Ship of Cannibal Rattatas" by Billy Talonflame. The beats, in a way, helped Lucas stay awake.

 _Unnnngggghhh...this feels nice,_ Lucas thought. He was very glad to be indoors, in a nice air-conditioned coffee shop. He'd been sweating like crazy when he'd been outside, and now, at least, he could cool down.

It wasn't just his thick coat of white fur that made Lucas so susceptible to the excess heat. He was also a Steel type, and that made days like today hell for him. Of course, now that he was on the run, an adventure of its own in a manner of speaking, he was going to have to deal with the heat.

 _Man, I hate having white fur,_ he thought.

Supposedly, at least according to his parents, he'd had some mystery illness when he was really little, and that's why his fur had changed color. He had no memory of this; from his perspective, it hadn't even happened, so there was no way to tell if it was true of not, other than looking at his medical records.

 _To get to my medical records, I'd have to go through my parents, and going through my parents would put them in danger._

 _They will stop at nothing to go after me. I have to be ready for that._

* * *

Serena found it very exciting to be on an adventure like she was right now.

Ever since she was much younger, she'd always had this ambition, to be out and about. Arceus knew that she was more than a little restless at home, but now the tables had turned. Now, she was really glad that she was out with Ash.

There were the minor things that she didn't quite like about the boy she was traveling with, though. For instance, when he'd mentioned that Kalokalo would need to get used to the heat, that had really hit home for her.

Because she _knew._ She'd heard plenty of stories of abusive trainers, those who made their Pokemon work in the heat for long hours, or even beat them, sometimes even to death when the masters got carried away.

She didn't think that Ash would be capable of such cruelty. They'd known each other since the beginning of elementary school, and Serena had always seen him as a pretty nice guy. Certainly not somebody who would abuse his Pokemon in any way, shape, or form.

Ash had apologized, and she'd forgiven him. Still, with everything she'd heard, and all of the beaten Pokemon her father, a doctor, had taken care of, it was hard not to get more than a little salty. It wasn't something she'd forget anytime soon.

Serena had allowed her new Ivysaur to walk on the path with the rest of them, once she was sure that he was loyal to her.

She'd named him Galang, which, in another language she'd heard once before, meant "respect". Serena did not quite know if this was revenge on Ash for his gaffe or just because she wanted to respect Galang back, but, in a way, it seemed almost poetic.

"We're going to have an army by the time we're done, at this rate" Serena told Ash eventually.

Her sudden words seemed to take Ash by surprise. After all, for the last mile or two, neither of them had spoken; it had taken all of their energy just to keep moving in the increasingly brutal heat.

"Yeah, you bet" he replied, chuckling slightly.

It wasn't much longer before they saw a brick building just a quarter of a mile away. It was located next to a bridge that ran over a highway, so, from here, they could hear the cars going by.

"Maybe this place isn't so peaceful after all" Ash quipped.

Serena couldn't help but laugh just a little at that. During their whole walk along Route 212, at least for today, they hadn't seen anybody else. No other trainers, no Team Rocket members, nobody simply taking a dog for a walk.

She knew that, once they reached a city, they would obviously see a lot more people out and about. However, Route 212 was a lot of distance to cover, so it made sense that nobody else would be there that she could see.

"You want to stop for some coffee or something?" Serena asked Ash once they reached the door.

"Yeah" the boy replied, checking his watch. "It's about lunchtime" he said. "Maybe that's not such a bad idea after all".

Serena and Ash entered the coffee shop, which was nearly deserted. Most of the people who would frequent it would probably have come earlier in the morning, since that's typically the time most people drink coffee.

There were only three beings in sight besides the two of them and their Pokemon, and two of them were the workers, young men wearing their Staryubucks smocks. The other wasn't a person, but rather a Lucario, sipping a large cup of some white liquid through a straw.

This wasn't any ordinary Lucario, however. He (Serena had a pretty good sense that it was a he) had white fur, and was wearing a yellow scarf around his neck. You didn't see that every day.

She looked over at Ash. His eyes were wide open, the size of golf balls. He was clearly seeing something he hadn't expected to see, something he saw as major.

He moved to sit over next to the Lucario, who looked up from his drink only to see that Ash was taking out his laptop and typing something in, then went back to drinking the milk (or whatever it was).

"I think I know you from some place" Ash told the Lucario.

Now it was the Lucario's turn to look shocked. Lucario had both of his paws planted very firmly on the floor, as though he were ready to spring up at any moment and run far, far away. Serena had to wonder why this Lucario seemed so scared of Ash.

Serena could tell that it was taking a lot of effort for the Lucario to not panic. As it was, she could see sweat running down his face, although that might have been because the Lucario was out in the heat as well that day.

"Where is that?" Lucario asked him.

"I had a dream about you" Ash said nonchalantly, as though he was simply saying something like, _I like apples._

"Everyone has dreams" the Lucario replied gruffly. "Doesn't mean that they're true".

"I never said that. It's just that I dreamed that someone was out looking for you. I saw the sketch of you".

Lucario was now clearly panicking silently. He said, "I really should get out of here, you know…". It was clearly against his own better judgment to say that, but it was plain to see that he could no longer resist his own impulses.

"No, please stay" Ash replied. "I promise you that I'm not a member of Team Rocket".

"That's what they all say, I'm sure. But how do you know that Team Rocket was looking for me? What's my name?"

Serena was very shocked. She was sure that Ash wouldn't be able to guess it correctly. After all, there were so many names that the Lucario could have, and she wasn't one to believe in the prophetic power of dreams. It all seemed like a bunch of silliness to her.

"Lucas Whitefur" Ash replied forcefully. "I had a dream about someone named Lucas Whitefur, and he looked exactly like you. He even had the same yellow scarf as the one you are wearing".

"This one?" the Lucario asked, taking it off. It now appeared slick with sweat, but, in Serena's opinion, it was still beautiful.

"Yeah, that one" Ash said.

"Well, I will not deny that I am Lucas Whitefur. I suppose that if you _are_ some Team Rocket grunt, I have no opportunity to escape now, so what do I have to lose from telling you so?"

"I knew it" Ash replied. "I _knew_ that you were Lucas Whitefur. Lucas is a fitting name for a Lucario".

"Yeah" Serena said. She hadn't spoken in a while, not since they'd entered the coffee shop, but she felt compelled to do so now. "It really is a beautiful name, and I see why your parents named you that".

"In any case…" Lucas began, but then trailed off. He clearly didn't know what to talk about. "I see that you have some Pokemon with you. Care to show me?"

It was now Serena's turn to be suspicious of Lucas. There was a slight feeling that Lucas couldn't mean anything good by asking to see their Pokemon. It seemed like an odd request, one that was probably motivated more by greed than anything else.

"Sure" Ash replied, before Serena could veto that idea. They'd put all four of their Pokemon in Pokeballs prior to entering the coffee shop, since they couldn't be 100% sure that they wouldn't run around and possibly mess the whole place up. Now, however, Ash seemed completely fine with it, and she wondered what would make him acquiesce so quickly to the demands of someone he'd only just met.

He took out one of his Pokeballs and pressed the button. Coyopa was released from the Pokeball.

"Remember, Coyopa, we're in a public place now, so please be on your best behavior" Ash told his Pikachu.

"Does he get rowdy sometimes?" Lucas asked Ash.

"Oh, like you wouldn't believe" Ash replied, chuckling. "Trust me that you should give him plenty of exercise, because, if he doesn't get it, he's just going to run all over the place".

"I won't do that" Coyopa promised.

"Nice" Lucas replied. "And I see that you've named your Pikachu Coyopa. That's a nice name; does it mean anything?"

Ash nodded. "It's the name of a God of thunder from some ancient culture. I figured that, since Pikachu's an electric Pokemon, it made sense".

"I suppose it does, if you put it that way" the Lucario told him. "He is pretty cute".

Serena noticed that Ash smiled at that. Then, Ash pressed the button on his other Pokeball, and Levu appeared in a flash of cyan light.

Levu looked back at Ash, regarding him with what seemed to be a suspicious expression. Serena had no idea why this was, but the Leafeon didn't seem to trust his trainer very much. There might have been a story behind that, but she was afraid to ask, for Levu probably found it pretty personal.

"Yes" said Lucas. "He's cute as well".

At that, Levu visibly flinched, as though he thought that Lucas was some kind of Pokemon hunter who was going to aim and fire.

 _Perhaps he really does think that,_ Serena thought. _Maybe there's something Levu isn't telling us._

She wasn't going to pry into Levu's past, though. Right now, they were both focusing on this white-furred Lucario, who seemed very apologetic after noticing Levu's behavior.

"What's wrong, Leafeon? I won't bite".

"His name is Levu" Ash said, evidently realizing that he hadn't told Lucas that.

"Okay, then" Lucas replied. "Sorry that I seem to have scared him".

"He's a bit jumpy, you know? You just have to be careful what you say around him, but if you are, you shouldn't run into any major issues".

 _Well, that's a relief,_ Serena thought.

She had been reluctant to show Lucas her team of Pokemon. But Ash had done it, so Serena decided that it would be fitting for her to do so as well.

Serena took out one of her Pokeballs and released an Ivysaur. This was, of course, the same Ivysaur that she had caught earlier.

"Hi" said the Ivysaur to the Lucario. "I'm Galang".

"Did you name Galang?" Lucas asked Serena.

"Yeah, I did" Serena replied without hesitation. "It's a word that means _respect_ in another language".

"That's a sweet name" Lucas replied. "Any particular reason you chose it?"

"Not really. And then there's the one I've had since I was ten. I don't know if you knew this, but new trainers always get their Pokemon on their tenth birthday. It's a tradition, a rite of passage of sorts".

"I'm aware of this rite of passage" the Lucario said. "I never took part in it myself...after all, I _am_ a Pokemon already, so…".

"I get it" Ash replied.

Lucas looked crossly at Ash. "In any case, what were your names again?"

"Ash Ketchum" Ash said.

"Serena Courtland" Serena said.

"Nice names" Lucas replied. "Like I told you, I'm Lucas Whitefur. Please do not call me Luke, I do not appreciate nicknames".

"Sure" Serena replied.

"In any case", Lucas continued, this time addressing Ash, "which of your Pokemon did you get on your tenth birthday?"

"I got Coyopa on my tenth birthday" Ash replied. "He's been my best friend ever since".

Serena remembered the day that Ash had gotten his first Pokemon, six years before. As soon as he'd gotten home from the Pokemon Lab in downtown Gardenia, he'd called her up on the phone and told her all about Coyopa, his new Pikachu. He'd sounded so excited that he probably couldn't see straight.

"That's nice" Lucas replied, looking slightly wistful. "I wish I could have had my own Pokemon".

"Well, we're on a journey" Serena said. She didn't know why she was doing so at first, but then she realized something.

Part of the reason for this was because _she wanted Lucas to have the chance to join them._

"Oh, nice" the Lucario said. "I was never a trainer myself, but can I see your other Pokemon, Serena?"

"Yeah" the girl replied. She got out her other Pokeball and released Kalokalo the Piplup.

"Oh, he's so _cute_ " Lucas said in an awed expression. "What's his name?"

"Kalokalo" replied Serena. "Don't ask me how I got that name, it just sounded really cool".

"Hello, Kalokalo. I'm Lucas Whitefur".

Kalokalo smiled and looked over at Lucas. "Can you pet me?" asked the Piplup.

"I don't see why not" replied Lucas, reaching out a paw and gently stroking the Piplup's back.

The three of them sat there for a couple of minutes as Lucas continued to pet Kalokalo. Eventually, the Lucario started appearing uncomfortable.

"What's wrong, Lucas?" Serena asked him, perhaps against her own better judgment. "You look...on edge about something".

"Well, I really should be leaving soon. It's not good for me to stay in one place for too long. I'm not...safe here, you see".

"Why not?" Ash asked him.

"There are people out there who really want to hurt me. They want me captured, they want me dead. I don't know how much longer I can be on Route 212 before I have to head into the woods, to be honest with you".

"Hmmm" Serena said. Her mind was working a mile a minute, trying to think of what to say.

"Are you a criminal?" Ash asked.

Lucas's eyes grew wide again. "WHAT? No. I've never stolen anything from anybody. Well, unless food counts, but that was only because I was desperate!".

"So why are you on the run?" That was Ash speaking.

"I already told you why. There is a certain evil organization that has put a target on my back. And, like I said, they want me dead".

"Ouch" Serena replied.

"Why don't you join us?" Ash asked.

"I won't" Lucas replied. "I don't want to put you in further danger. Team Rocket is very dangerous as it is".

"Well", Ash replied, "that's one way of looking at it. You could also look at it another way".

"And what way is that?"

"If you join us, you'll have a team of Pokemon backing you up. We are going to have revenge on anyone who tries to hurt you".

Lucas smiled. "That does sound really sweet, actually".

Serena was excited at the prospect of someone new joining them. "Well…" she replied. "Do you want to join us or not?"

"I will".

And so that is how two became three, how Ash Ketchum and Serena Courtland were joined by Lucas Whitefur.

* * *

 **It might be just me, but if a white-furred Lucario and two trainers were in my local small-town Starbucks, I'd be pretty amazed, and wonder what they were planning. It might be something illicit, so I'd certainly be suspicious were I a barista there. Or is it baristo, since I'm a guy? I don't know.**

 **Whatever. In any case, thank you for reading up to this point. I hope you continue to enjoy my content.**


	8. Route 212

**This is the longest chapter yet, but that's not saying much. It's a little more than four thousand words. Powered on way too many sugar cookies, I was able to bring this to you.**

 **In other news, I just hit 15 favorites and 15 follows. Those are numbers I like to see, especially since I'm almost at 1,000 views now. Once I post this chapter, it'll be about 11:50 AM.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Current Music: Runnin' Across the Tracks - Billy Talent**

* * *

Ash couldn't believe how good Serena was at persuasion. She'd really made it sound appealing for Lucas to join them, so much so that Lucas actually _did_ join them.

He didn't know how he felt about that, if he was being honest with himself. On one hand, it would cost more to be with three people than with two people from the standpoint of what they'd need to buy from shops. It would also be more complicated to coordinate the wishes of three as opposed to two.

On the other hand, it really was nice to have another companion. Ash hadn't exactly been _lonely_ when he was just with Serena, but it would be great for there to be someone else to travel with.

Eventually, the barista came over to the armchairs the three of them were sitting at and said that, if they didn't order something soon, they were going to be asked to leave. As a result, they did order sandwiches, including Lucas, who had already had a donut.

 _Of course, Lucario really have fast metabolisms,_ Ash thought. _Of course he'd still be hungry._

They even ordered some food for their Pokemon, and the group of seven was able to make small talk with each other as they ate. It was really quite pleasant, hanging out here with each other and getting to know Lucas better.

"What's your favorite color, Lucas?" Serena asked at one point.

"Why are you asking me that?" the Lucario replied, sounding slightly confused. "I didn't know that that was too important for you".

"Well", Serena replied, "it would just be nice to know, so I could get to know you better".

Lucas took his scarf off, and it was clear to see that there was a great deal of sweat on it. He'd evidently been walking outside for quite a while, wearing it at the same time.

"It's yellow" the Lucario replied. "Same color as this scarf; that's why I bought it back when I was sixteen".

"I'm sixteen" said Ash. "Serena's fifteen. How old are you, Lucas?"

"I just turned eighteen; in fact, my birthday was the day before yesterday. I got this scarf for my 16th birthday, and I really love it. I've always loved the ocean, and it seemed like a nice nautical theme for it, you know?"  
Ash looked more closely at the scarf, and he was able to see that it was indeed the same one that he'd witnessed in his dream. This was incredible, quite literally a dream come true.

 _Except maybe it's more of a nightmare made real,_ a small voice inside his head told him. _After all, Team Rocket is after Lucas. By traveling with him, you're only putting your own life in danger._

 _Shut up,_ Ash replied silently.

 _Oh yeah, you're also putting Serena's life in danger. You're in love with her, and you just won't admit it._

Ash didn't even want to address the voice this time. He decided to focus more on the scarf.

The olive-colored rope pattern was present, as was the overall golden yellow coloration. The white lines rounded everything out quite nicely, and they looked like ocean waves, reminding Ash of excursions he'd made to the seaside with his mother.

"I really like your scarf" said Serena. "Like you said, it's a pretty color".

"I've got other scarves like this one" Lucas replied. "I guess I'll show you once we're at a Pokemon center or something; I'd really rather not hold us up. Where are you guys going, by the way?"  
Ash didn't know if he should be saying that out loud in a coffee shop. If there was some Team Rocket grunt in there (admittedly unlikely), and they were overheard, then congratulations, they'd have managed to pick up a stalker. That wasn't something they needed.

"I understand if you don't want to say it right here" the Lucario continued, noticing that Ash wasn't responding, and neither was Serena. "I think it's a good idea to leave now. Are you guys done eating?"

Both of them were, but Kalokalo, a slow eater, wasn't quite finished with his food yet. Once he was done, they threw out the trash and then left the coffee shop.

Back on the road again, it was a good five minutes before Lucas broached the subject once more of where they were going.

"Well", said Serena, "we were going to head to Hearthome City first, take on the gym leader there. It's probably a few days of walking to get there on foot, but isn't that the best way to travel?"

"I agree" Lucas replied. "It's a nice way to see everything".

"Yeah" Ash said. He'd kept both of his Pokemon out of their Pokeballs when they'd gone outside, because he figured that they could use some more exercise. He was glad that he'd done so.

The sun continued to beat down. Indeed, it was now around the time of the day when temperatures are usually the highest, and the three trainers didn't encounter anyone else on the trail.

Route 212 was usually fairly crowded by the standards of routes; it obviously still wasn't by any objective standard, just because it was so long. However, today, it seemed as though many trainers were remaining indoors in the air conditioning. Not a lot of people would want to be walking many miles a day in such hot weather.

Ash thought of what he'd said earlier about Kalokalo needing to get used to the heat, and he was starting to feel a little guilty about that. Serena had had a point; it had been a very insensitive thing to say, and Ash hadn't thought before he'd said it.

On the other hand, however, there was truth to what Ash had said. At a certain point, the Piplup _would_ have to get used to the heat if he didn't want to stay in his Pokeball all the time.

 _To be fair, it's supposed to be pretty nice inside of one of them, though, so maybe it is fine for Kalokalo to stay in there the whole time. Still, he'll miss out on the best part of the journey if that does happen._

They walked for several more hours, and occasionally Lucas would take off his yellow scarf and use it to fan his face. If Ash himself was sweating like a beast and getting really tired, he could only imagine that Lucas, as a Steel type, was suffering in the heat.

There was hope in sight, however. The air did eventually start to cool down slightly. The sun wasn't sinking yet, but the shadows cast by the shrubbery on the edges of Route 212 were getting longer.

Eventually, Serena took a look at her watch. "It's almost six" she said. "Do you guys want to stop at the next Pokemon center?"

Pokemon centers were strategically placed every five miles along each route, and they served three different purposes. One was as a sort of hospital for Pokemon, who could be put into healing machines if their problems were not too severe, or else put in regular hospital beds if they needed a little more help to get back on their feet.

Trainers could also spend the night there for free. Pokemon centers operated off of the peoples' tax money, which was allowed due to the fact that they were nonprofits. They weren't _trying_ to make money, they just wanted to serve trainers. Each Pokemon center also had a restaurant inside of it, so there was that.

Finally, every Pokemon center in Sinnoh, and in the other regions as well, had a library from which trainers could read. The books weren't permitted to be taken out of the Pokemon centers, though.

"I'm fine with that" Lucas replied. "We've been going nonstop for well over four hours. I could certainly use a break".

Ash wasn't tempted to veto that idea. As little as he wanted to admit it, he was about ready to call it a day. He was definitely glad that they'd made it as far as they had, but he'd had about enough walking for one day.

"Yeah" Ash said.

"It's settled, then" Serena replied. "Next Pokemon center we come across, we're going to stay the night at. And in the morning, we'll leave and continue down Route 212".

Within ten minutes of her saying that, the next Pokemon center came into view. It was a long, low building that only had one floor, and the cafeteria had floor-to-ceiling windows. You could see trainers dining and socializing with one another through the window.

Some trainers were eating together because they were actually traveling in a group, while others simply speed-friended each other, knowing that they might never see each other again after their meal. To Ash, it was a beautiful scene.

The trio entered the Pokemon center and booked two rooms. In one room, Ash and Lucas would sleep; Serena would take the other room, because otherwise things would have been more than a little awkward.

It had been Ash's idea for her to sleep in a different room from the boys. He was just glad that he'd been able to voice it without sounding like he possibly had a crush on Serena, because subtlety was very important in situations like this.

Once they were settled in, the three of them ate together in the cafeteria. Most trainers and their Pokemon ate dinner later than they were, so the cafeteria wasn't that crowded.

"So", said Lucas, in between bites of pasta, "what's the deal with the Leafeon? Why is he always so skittish around you?"

Ash wished that he had a good answer to that question, but he didn't. It was rather an awkward one, because he didn't know if Levu's skittishness was his fault or not.

"I really do not know" Ash replied. He sure as hell hoped that that counted as an answer, because otherwise he would have been completely stuck, waiting for someone else to say something and rescue him from that predicament.

"I see" the Lucario said, scratching his chin slightly. "Well, then...I guess that there's just no reason for it".

"I mean", Serena pointed out, "I think everything happens for a reason. That's really what I think the evidence points towards. But I don't think Ash did anything wrong to cause that".

Ash glanced at Serena with a look that said, _Thank you very much._

Serena looked back at Ash with an expression that, _You are welcome._

Ash didn't know why his Leafeon was always on edge around him, but he really hoped that Serena was right, that it wasn't his fault.

 _But maybe, just maybe, it is,_ he thought. _And if that's the case…_

Ash had always wanted to believe that he was a good person...but good people still made mistakes, didn't they?

He decided that he'd just focus on his food for the rest of the meal and try not to worry about what Levu thought about him. Now that he was officially Levu's trainer, the Leafeon was going to obey him.

But a deeper question still lingered in Ash's mind: _Is that right?_

* * *

Wendell and Tendai had been walking all day, and had still not gotten anywhere near a city. At least, not near enough that they could see the lights in the distance.

"I'm getting pretty hungry" Tendai said eventually, as the two of them sat down on the edge of a clearing in the forest.

"I'm sure there's some fruit somewhere" Wendell replied. "But you're right; this lifestyle, being out in the woods like this without any food, isn't sustainable. I mean, it might be _environmentally_ sustainable, sure, but…".

"I get the point" Tendai replied curtly. He was staring off into the distance, where the sun was beginning to set, signalling the end of their first day on the road. The first day of their mission to catch Lucas Whitefur.

At this point, the sky was orange from the sunset, and the air was getting much cooler. This was a major relief for the wolf brothers, who had only packed dry food with them, and had had only a small amount of water to drink.

After about ten more minutes of walking, they came across a small pond. It was only about 25 yards wide, and almost a perfect circle in shape.

 _If it's an average of three feet deep, and the radius is 12.5 yards, then that means the area is…_

Tendai, ever the math nerd, had been trying to calculate the volume of the pond in his head, but Wendell's next words brought him back to Earth.

"This is probably a good place to stop" Wendell said. "A nice water source, so we can refill our water bottles. I'd say we should drink as much as we can here, because who knows when we'll get another chance".

"Thanks a lot, Mr. Survival" Tendai said in a teasing tone.

"Be more grateful, Tendai. After all, _I'm_ the one keeping us alive".

Between the two of them, it was obvious who was more of the outdoorsy type. While virtually all Team Rocket members were in at least reasonably good physical shape, Wendell was definitely in better shape than Tendai. Wendell could run for ten kilometers, while Tendai could only do five.

"Whatever" the younger brother replied, sounding bored. He sat down and leaned against a rock.

"We can't go to sleep yet, brother" Wendell replied. "We have to fill up our water bottles first. And add the iodine".

Tendai, who had had no intention of going to sleep, stood back up. "Yeah. What is it, again? Three drops?"

"Five drops per quart when the water is clear, and ten when it's cloudy" Wendell replied matter-of-factly, as though he had swallowed a Pokepedia article. "Then shake it up, and it'll be ready to drink in an hour".

"Can't wait" Tendai said.

Not only was it important to keep up their strength so that they could continue on the trail of Lucas Whitefur, but they also had to be very attentive in order to find him. If they were in a crowded place, for instance, they'd be likely to miss him if they weren't careful.

 _Of course,_ Tendai thought, _he probably will be in a crowded place, unless he's an idiot._

That would present a great deal of headache for them. It would be very difficult to snatch a Lucario in front of multiple witnesses without getting caught. And it was of the utmost importance that they didn't get caught, because the letter R tattooed onto both of their arms really said it all.

"Are you sure that we should be stopping now?" Tendai asked his brother. He was doing so against his own better judgment; after all, he was physically weaker than Wendell, so it would have made more since for his brother to ask that question.

"Yes, Tendai, I am" Wendell replied, sounding rather strict. "We can't keep going forever without resting, and you know that".

Before Tendai could object, the older brother continued with, "You know that he'll be stopping, too. We might not be able to go on forever, but neither can Whitefur. Now give me your water bottle".

Tendai handed over his canteen, and Wendell went to fill both of their water bottles with the pond's water. Their bottles were a liter each, so they had to add just slightly more than the recommended amount per quart. It was very difficult to get the exact amount of iodine into the water bottles.

On the plus side, the water did look clear, so they wouldn't have to use too much iodine here. They could save more of it for when the water was cloudy, and then they would _need_ more of it.

There were still the questions of what they were going to do once they found Lucas Whitefur, mainly how they'd keep him in one place once they had apprehended him. However, that was a question for another time; both wolves, tired from the long day, were starting to feel fairly sleepy.

Finally, the water was ready to drink, and it felt like heaven on Tendai's mouth. It had felt like he'd been in the middle of the desert for weeks, thanks to all of that walking in the summer sun.

"Tonight, we rest" Wendell said, sounding like a wannabe adventurer. "Tomorrow, we continue the hunt".

* * *

Lucas hadn't expected to sleep well ever again. Granted, it wasn't easy to do so when you were constantly being hunted by Team Rocket.

However, now that he was with Ash and Serena, two people who seemed pretty nice to him, he found that he could relax a lot more easily. Almost immediately after settling into bed, he looked over at Ash, who had begun to snore. It wasn't long afterwards that Lucas fell asleep himself.

He didn't have any dreams; at least, not any that his mind decided were worth remembering. When he woke up, he felt very rested indeed, which stood in stark contrast to how he usually felt after sleeping fitfully, which was the norm for him on many nights.

Lucas was an "early to bed, early to rise" Lucario. Serena had told the boys that they should go to bed early, since they'd been on the road most of the day and needed their rest. Both of them, as much as they didn't like taking orders from someone younger than them (even if, in Ash's case, he was only a few months older than Serena), had acquiesced to her demands. They knew it was in their best interests to do so.

When he did wake up, it was roughly half past five in the morning, and Ash was still sleeping. Lucas knew that it would be good manners to wait until he was up in order to go grab breakfast with him.

 _Fuck that,_ he thought. _I'm hungry now, I want to eat._

Oh well. He was sure that Ash was going to forgive him once he learned about that; indeed, he didn't think that the human boy was going to be very angry with him at all, ever.

As he sat alone in the cafeteria, eating his pancakes without any company, Lucas watched the sun rise. It really was quite a beautiful sight, one he hadn't really gotten to appreciate ever since he'd been on the run. But now that he had some sense of security, some sense that he was safer than he'd ever been since leaving home, everything seemed more magical somehow.

After he ate, he went back to the room with Ash and waited for the human boy to wake up, which he soon did. The two of them then went back to the cafeteria together; this time, Serena was already there.

"You looking forward to getting to Hearthome City?" she asked Ash. Judging by the fact that her hair looked darker than usual, Lucas guessed that she'd just taken a shower before going to breakfast.

"Yeah. It'll be really nice there" Ash replied.

Lucas had only seen the outskirts of Hearthome City; he'd never actually been inside the city limits. From what he'd seen, it certainly looked as though it was a fairly pleasant place to live, and he was jealous of those people who had more time to explore it than he had.

 _Well, now I'm going to get to,_ he thought.

They left the Pokemon center around 8:00. The sun was now high in the sky, and it was already clear that today was going to be just as hot, if not hotter, than yesterday.

Lucas sighed. He was getting tired of all this heat. Even a nice, cool breeze that was barely five degrees colder than the air would have felt wonderful on his white fur that was damp with sweat.

But _no._ Clearly, Arceus didn't think that our three heroes deserved anything other than a 90-degree, dry, windless day.

 _That raises the question of...but no, we're not going to think about that today._

Eventually, Lucas saw a shape in the distance. By now they'd been walking for nearly an hour into this new day, and he was starting to wonder if he was hallucinating.

"I probably need to drink more water" he said, reaching into his bag and taking a swig from his canteen.

"Yeah, maybe you do. It's really hot here, isn't it?"

However, as it turned out, Lucas was _not_ hallucinating. The shape was still very much visible. It looked dark, somehow, and the Lucario realized that it was a Zorua.

"Catch it!" Ash hissed at him.

Hidden among the tall grass on the side of the route, it wasn't an easy thing to do. The Zorua moved like the wind would have moved, had there been any.

Lucas dug into his backpack. It might have been just because his hands were shaking with excitement, but he found it difficult to get his hands on one of his Pokeballs. And it really shouldn't have been that way, since his backpack wasn't that big, but it was a struggle just to find it.

Finally, he did reach one of his Pokeballs, and he tossed it at the Zorua. For whatever reason, it didn't resist.

"Nice catch, Lucas!" Ash exclaimed. "You can keep him".

"Really?" asked the Lucario. For whatever reason, it was his impulse to immediately ask if he could have the Zorua. He wasn't sure why that was, but he knew that it was important to be assertive.

"Yeah" replied the human boy. "After all, you caught him, and each of us have two. What are you going to name him?"

"Well, we don't know its gender yet", Serena replied, shrugging. "Do you want to release it and ask?"

"Sure" Lucas replied, holding out the Pokeball that had absorbed the Zorua and pressing the button. In the flash of cyan light, the Zorua appeared right before him.

"Man, it is really hot out here" Zorua said, panting.

"Yeah, it is" Lucas replied. "I'm a Lucario, so I feel it a lot thanks to being a Steel type".

"Yes" Zorua replied. "And I'm male, just so you know".

That was what Lucas had suspected. After all, 87.5%, or seven in eight, Zoruas were male, so it would be reasonable to assume of any particular Zorua that it was male. Besides, he'd just _appeared_ male to him.

"I'll call you Jabeni" replied Lucas. "Does that sound like a good name to you?"

Lucas took out the PokeDex that he'd taken with him while he was on the run. Almost immediately, a holographic image of basic information about this particular Zorua appeared.

 _JABENI - MALE ZORUA_

 _OWNER - LUCAS WHITEFUR_

 _LEVEL - 19 (SCRATCH, LEER, PURSUIT, FAKE TEARS, FURY SWIPES, FEINT ATTACK)._

"It already recognizes the name you gave it" Ash said. "That's pretty cool, isn't it?"

"Yeah" the Lucario replied absentmindedly. He was still thinking about just how amazing it was that he'd caught his own Pokemon. Now, he felt like he had an even greater degree of protection.

But he wasn't naive. He knew that the powerful forces going after him would go to the ends of the earth in order to hunt him down. And he would make sure they regretted having ever messed with Lucas Whitefur.

* * *

 **I don't remember who requested this, but I'm going to oblige by listing, at the end of this and every chapter after it, I will put a list of all the Pokemon thus far.**

 **Ash: Coyopa (male Pikachu), Levu (male Leafeon)**

 **Serena: Kalokalo (male Piplup), Galang (male Ivysaur)**

 **Lucas: Jabeni (male Zorua)**


	9. A Dream Come True

**I'd like to thank all of you who have read this story thus far. My school doesn't have finals before Christmas vacation, so I simply have another day and a half of school before I'm finally free until 2019. I may have less time to write over vacation, just because of where I'll be; perhaps there will be less Internet access there.**

 **I won't say where yet, but it is somewhere tropical. Don't worry; I did get the necessary vaccinations for it. I don't need to be getting malaria, but the trip will be awesome.**

 **Current music: The Last Night by Skillet**

* * *

Over the next several days, the trio of adventurers continued traveling along Route 212. They knew what was awaiting them in Hearthome City, but they had to get there first.

For the first two days after meeting Lucas Whitefur, the heat didn't let up one bit. However, at a certain point, the three of them got used to it, with Lucas having the most trouble at it. He was still clearly suffering due to being a Steel type, but, like Ash had said about Kalokalo, it was something he'd have to deal with.

Each of them knew to drink plenty of water in order to stave off dehydration, which was a threat that could sneak up on one quickly. Lucas had had to learn many survival tips before leaving his home, one of which was that, by the time you got thirsty, you were already dehydrated, so it was important to drink water _before_ you felt that way.

Jabeni quickly grew loyal to Lucas. Zoruas were often highly suspicious creatures, but, fortunately, that wasn't the case for this particular Zorua. They'd quickly grown attached to one another, and Lucas couldn't wait to use him in battle against the Hearthome City gym leader.

It was true that Ash had Coyopa and Levu, and Serena had Kalokalo and Galang. However, for some reason, Lucas felt as though his bond with Jabeni was something else; more special, in a way.

Perhaps it was because Jabeni was thus far his only Pokemon, so it was like the special bond that an only child might have with their parents. If that was the case, the Lucario wondered if that was how Ash and Serena had felt back when they'd only had one Pokemon each.

 _If that's the case, maybe my bond isn't QUITE that special._

Each night, they would check into a Pokemon center, and their routine would typically be pretty much the same. They'd book two rooms, one for Lucas and Ash, and one for Serena. They'd spend the night there and eat breakfast before resuming their trek in the morning.

Late morning on June 16, their second full day on the journey, Serena said, "Let's stop and train here for a bit. Our Pokemon don't have too much experience with battling, at least not with us as trainers".

They'd used the PokeDex on their Pokemon before, and they'd seen that they weren't _too_ inexperienced, since they were all at decent levels. However, the trio didn't have too much practice battling with their Pokemon, so Serena figured that they'd do well to get some practice in.

And so they stopped in a park that was along Route 212, somewhere before that route curves and starts heading north towards Hearthome City. By this time it was once more getting really hot, and Lucas found himself wiping the sweat out of his eyes.

It was a good thing that there was a drinking fountain at the park. As soon as the Lucario saw it, he made a beeline for it, turned it on, and started guzzling several mouthfuls before he even came up for air.

Once he had drunk all that he desired, the three of them made their way into the battling courts that were on the edge of the park. Practically every park in Sinnoh had battling courts; indeed, that was the case for most of the rest of the world as well. Battling was taken very seriously.

"Can I fight against you, Serena?" Lucas asked. "I really want to see how skilled Jabeni is at battling".

"Are you cool with that, Ash?" Serena asked the human boy. "If you're the first one to sit out?"

"Yeah, I'm fine with that" Ash replied, finding a nearby bench to sit on, from which he would be a spectator.

Lucas couldn't help but be a little nervous. After all, this was his first time battling. He was originally from a very rural area, and there hadn't been many other people to battle with. While he'd generally been satisfied with his upbringing, there was also the fact that not very many people would have wanted to battle _with_ him. It was one of the many occupational hazards of having white fur.

He and Serena positioned themselves on opposite sides of the battling court, as though it was a tennis match instead of a Pokemon battle.

"Ready...set...go!" exclaimed Serena.

The two of them held out their Pokeballs and released their Pokemon.

Serena released a Piplup, and Lucas remembered that his name was Kalokalo. He, of course, only had one Pokemon, Jabeni.

"Kalokalo, use Pound!" Serena yelled at her Piplup.

Jabeni was ready for it, however. Zoruas were very fast and nimble, so it appeared to be a very easy thing indeed for this particular Zorua to dodge.

"Jabeni, use Scratch!" Lucas exclaimed.

Jabeni tried to use Scratch, but, as it turned out, Kalokalo was a very good dodger as well. Of course, part of that might have had to do with the fact that it was still early in the battle. There was no telling how much longer their stamina would hold up, especially given just how high temperatures were.

Indeed, at a certain point, Kalokalo was the first one to waver. Jabeni kept using his attacks on the Piplup, but it was clear that Kalokalo was having a more and more difficult time dodging them.

 _Of course,_ Lucas realized eventually. _Kal's not used to this heat. It's got to be brutal on a Piplup, hasn't it?_

He was starting to feel a little guilty for battling Kalokalo, even if Serena had agreed to it. It just didn't sound like a very good idea, since it was so hot out.

Eventually, Kalokalo collapsed. The Piplup, very much unaccustomed to these temperatures, had fainted from the heat. Clearly, he was dehydrated and tired.

"No" Serena groaned.

Ash, seeing that something was wrong, sprang to his feet and tried to climb over the fence into the court. Being that the fence was ten feet tall, this wasn't the easiest task, so, after about fifteen seconds, he decided to cut his losses and use the goddamn door.

"What's wrong?" he asked. Clearly, he could tell that something was indeed amiss.

"Kalokalo fainted from the heat" Serena replied. "I'll put him back in the Pokeball right now".

Serena held out her Pokeball and pressed the button on it. Immediately, Kalokalo was recalled into it with a flash of red light.

"The Pokeball", she said, "will keep him stable for now, but we're eventually going to have to get him to a Pokemon center. That'll be the only permanent solution".

"I didn't realize he was that dehydrated" Ash said.

Serena gave the human boy a slightly dirty look. "Piplups, as well as other Ice types, lose their bodily fluids really fast when they're in such hot weather. I should have known this would happen; it's no one's fault but mine".

 _Don't blame yourself, Serena,_ Lucas thought to himself. _Blame me, for starting this battle in the first place._

Lucas wasn't going to make himself a scapegoat for that, though. No way in hell was he going to voice that thought, because he didn't need to be blamed for something else. He'd had enough of that at school when he was younger. Since he'd had white fur, he was very often picked on.

They got back on the road and looked for the nearest Pokemon center. Fortunately, it was only a mile away. Granted, Kalokalo could have stayed in his Pokeball for as long as was necessary. While he might not get better, he certainly wouldn't get worse during the time he was in the Pokeball, since it was kind of like a stasis chamber.

Ash didn't say anything to Serena to suggest that he thought it was her fault. He was trying to comfort her, in fact, as though he were Serena's boyfriend.

 _Maybe he is,_ Lucas thought. It was the first time that idea had occurred to him, but, he almost immediately realized, it probably wouldn't be the last.

 _I mean,_ he thought, _he's really trying hard to comfort her about what happened. I wouldn't be surprised if they were a couple._

They finally arrived at a Pokemon center and released Kalokalo from his Pokeball, who was still unconscious (a Pokemon who entered a Pokeball unconscious would remain as such until they were out of it).

Nurse Joy looked at the Piplup. "He's dehydrated, yes?"

Serena nodded, looking guilty and worried at the same time.

"How did this happen?"

The girl explained that they'd been battling outside in the heat, and Kalokalo appeared to have gotten some sort of heat exhaustion from exerting himself too much in the hot sun.

"Yeah, that's something you should be careful about with Ice types" Nurse Joy replied. "Really...what's your name, again?"

"Serena Courtland".

"Ms. Courtland, I have half a mind to give you a citation for mistreatment of your Piplup. His name is Kalokalo, you said?"

Serena nodded again. "I didn't even think…".

"That's a big problem" replied Nurse Joy curtly. "Remember what's at stake, Ms. Courtland, if you keep doing this".

Beyond caring about your Pokemon and not wanting any harm to come to them, there were other reasons why you needed to watch after them. If you were suspected of mistreating one of your Pokemon, you could get a citation. If you got too many citations, your trainer's license would be revoked. Pokemon were considered to be equal to humans, so killing a Pokemon would be punished just as harshly as killing a fellow human being.

Ash looked incredulously at Serena. It was clear that he wasn't blaming her for what had happened, but he looked surprised that it warranted her possibly getting a citation.

"I won't give you a citation, just a warning this time" said Nurse Joy. "But, like I said, you do need to be more careful about how hard you work Kalokalo".

The Piplup was taken to another room to be rehydrated, and the trio decided that they had nothing better to do than eat lunch in the Pokemon center's cafeteria. All of them were fairly hungry, after all.

Lucas noticed that, no matter how much Serena seemed to be trying to focus on her food, she just couldn't seem to make herself feel happy. He really wished she'd just get over it already - had that happened to Jabeni, Lucas would have tried to forgive himself and move on.

Then again, she could have gotten a citation, and that would have been bad indeed, so he was very glad it hadn't come to that.

 _If she had gotten a citation,_ thought Lucas, _then we would have gotten more caught up in the system. And we don't want that, because then everyone would know about me._

 _And if everyone knows about me, that's another avenue that Team Rocket can use to get to me. We can't have that, can we?_

Once Kalokalo had been rehydrated, he rejoined the party. Lucas was relieved when this was the case; it at least meant that the Piplup was confirmed to be okay, however Serena might have felt about it.

 _It's not your fault,_ Lucas thought, but didn't say. He didn't think Serena would listen.

Even though it was only about two in the afternoon by this point, they decided that they would stop for the day and stay at that Pokemon center. It was awkward seeing other trainers there, who had heard about what had happened with Kalokalo, so our trio spent most of their time in their rooms.

Just like at the first Pokemon center they'd stayed at, Lucas and Ash had one room, while Serena had another. The Lucario was starting to wonder, however, if this arrangement was healthy for the girl. It was clear that she still felt guilty about what had happened, and the last thing she needed was to be isolated from the other two trainers.

However, he knew that trying to persuade Serena that it wasn't her fault was going to be a futile endeavor, so he didn't even make an attempt at it.

The next day, however, Serena seemed to have largely forgotten what had happened; at least, it didn't affect her nearly as much as it had before, and, for the most part, it seemed as though she'd forgiven herself and moved on.

 _That's a very good thing,_ thought Lucas. _Because if we're going to be fighting Fantina while one of our members is constantly distracted and feeling guilty, that's a recipe for disaster right there._

* * *

It was three full days later that the trio arrived in Hearthome City. Ash had seen maps of Sinnoh, of course, but he'd never fully appreciated how long of a distance it was from one city to another. Gardenia, very close to Pastoria City, was fully five days from Hearthome City, at least on foot.

They had, of course, taken a break for one night when Serena's Piplup had gotten overheated, but, other than that, they'd been going nearly nonstop. It was early afternoon right now, the hottest part of the day, and Ash noticed more and more that Serena was making sure that Kalokalo was drinking enough water.

 _That's good,_ he thought. _At least she's learning from her mistakes._

Ash wasn't that mad at Serena for what had happened. Indeed, he'd spent a great deal of time consoling Serena after that, and he figured that, by now, she was pretty much back to herself. That was a relief.

Now, however, they had reached the outskirts of Hearthome City, and it was absolutely stunning.

Perhaps this was simply because Ash hadn't been in a city in almost a week, but something about Hearthome City seemed more majestic than usual. And it really shouldn't have been, because none of the buildings were anything spectacular.

Hearthome City had been built on the premise that it was supposed to be child-friendly. To that end, virtually every building above one story had at least one elevator. Many playgrounds could be seen, obviously meant for younger children.

Ash had read somewhere that the building codes for Hearthome City stated that no building could be greater than five stories tall. As a result, it didn't feel like Jubilife City probably did, with all of its skyscrapers.

That said, Hearthome City was a large city, and, since the buildings were only allowed to be so tall, anyone who could do basic math would be able to tell that the city went on for many miles.

Because it did. For almost as far as anyone could see, Hearthome City remained Hearthome City, and the sheer size of the city limits was quite a sight to behold. It was going to be a lot of ground to cover as the trio looked for the gym where they would fight Fantina.

They descended a small hill and into Hearthome City. From the ground, it looked almost suburban in a way. Certainly not like Pastoria City, which was densely urban throughout most of the city limits.

The city also had a subway system, which had color-coded lines according to which sections of the city they served. Every so often, you'd come across the stairs that led underground to one of the stops that the train would make.

It was when they came to the third one of these that Serena pointed out the obvious.

"It's a lot of ground to cover, and, if we walk the whole way...well, there just aren't enough hours in a day, are there?"

Ash saw where the girl was coming from. Over the last few days, she'd been something of a voice of reason for the group, something he greatly appreciated. At the same time, though, Ash hoped that she didn't force too much responsibility on herself. The last thing they needed was for any unnecessary stress to be on Serena's shoulders.

 _Not that she can't handle it,_ Ash thought. _She's a strong girl._

The trio descended the flight of stairs into the underground, keeping their Pokemon in their Pokeballs. Even though there would be many young children who would like to pet the Pokemon, that would only serve to hold them up. Time was of the essence, because, if they got to the gym too late, the reservations for battling Fantina would most likely have been used up.

 _And that would really suck,_ thought Ash.

Then again, their Pokemon had, for the most part, been walking with them all day. Perhaps they'd need a good night's sleep before they took part in a gym battle. If Fantina was indeed booked, that would be a problem, but it wouldn't be a huge one. There'd still be a silver lining.

Serena was the one most acquainted with cities, having spent a good deal of time exploring Pastoria City with her parents, so she was the one who paid for the subway tickets. Ash and Lucas merely looked at each other during the time that she did so, sharing looks that said, _I hope she knows what she's doing, because I sure as hell can't help her._

Finally, Serena had the tickets ready, and the three of them hurried to get on the subway train before the doors closed. They made it with seconds to spare.

Once they were on the train, Ash's mind began racing. He didn't know where they would get off, what the stop would be called, or when they would get there. He could only hope that Serena had the answers to those questions already, because he sure as hell didn't.

Fortunately, it seemed that she did. Serena pointed to the name of the stop that they were getting off at, and Ash saw, written there clear as day, _Hearthome City Gym._

In order to make it there, they had to change lines twice. The subway system might have been easy to understand, but it wasn't that efficient, and it took them roughly forty-five minutes to make it to their stop.

Every stop, some people would get on and some people would get off. For Ash, since he hadn't seen a city in what had felt like forever, this seemed rather surreal. Here were all these everyday people; trainers younger than them, trainers older than them (albeit fewer in number), moms with kids by their side, very young children in strollers, and more. It was quite a sight to behold.

 _I'm getting to see all these different types of people,_ Ash thought. _This is a dream come true._

Last week, back in Gardenia, when he'd first floated the idea to Serena of going on a journey, he'd been envisioning things like this. Getting to see the world was a major privilege, and he wanted to keep experiencing this for as long as possible.

 _Don't fantasize too much about becoming a Pokemon Master,_ he told himself. _Because you have to get there first._

But what if it actually did happen?

He shook his head. He couldn't think about that right now, when they hadn't even battled their first gym leader. It sure as hell would be a while before they got to that point.

Once they finally arrived at their stop, they left and climbed a broken-down escalator in order to get to the surface once more. They could have taken the elevator; in the interest of being child-friendly, of course, the subway station had been equipped with elevators.

"Okay" Lucas said, the first time he had spoken in the last half hour (He was probably just as amazed as Ash at being surrounded by people from all walks of life). "So where's the gym?"

His question was almost immediately answered. Right in front of them was the Hearthome City gym, which was advertised in large bold letters that were a foot tall: **HEARTHOME CITY GYM.**

"Well, that answers that question" said Lucas unnecessarily.

They walked into the building, and, behind a counter, there was a rather plump woman with red hair who looked like she was on the wrong side of middle age, wearing a red vest despite the heat outdoors.

"Hello" said the woman. "What brings you to the Hearthome City gym?"

"We were hoping to do battle with Fantina today" said Ash. He didn't know why, but he felt like he should be as up-front as possible about it. There was no need to beat around the bush; if he just stated his name and purpose as quickly as possible, that would be ideal.

"She's booked for the rest of the day" replied the woman behind the counter. "The next spot she has open is ten o'clock tomorrow; does that work for you guys?"

"I suppose it does" Ash replied. Somehow, he felt very confident about this, as though he knew that, no matter what, it was all going to work out in the end.

"Great. All I need are your names".

Serena spoke up first. "I'm Serena Courtland, and this is Ash Ketchum and Lucas Whitefur".

Lucas gave Serena a slightly angry look. _Of course,_ Ash thought. _He wants his name out there as little as possible._

And then Ash looked at the Lucario. _I'm sorry, dude, but you'll have to get used to it. You have to give them their name if you want to battle the gym leaders._

Lucas didn't acknowledge Ash, and, once Serena had made the reservation with the red-haired woman, he didn't say anything more. The three of them simply walked out of the building.

They could have stayed in a Pokemon center during their time in Hearthome City, but they decided against it. Ash had plenty of money in the bank, and they could afford a hotel for a night or two, so long as it wasn't a particularly fancy one.

The first thing they did was go to the ATM so that Ash could withdraw money. Delia Ketchum had given her son a bank card before he'd left on his journey, so Ash took that out and made the transaction. He was surprised by just how easy it was.

After that, it was simply a matter of finding a hotel that was near the gym. This wasn't a difficult task, since Hearthome City had a good amount of those.

They eventually settled on the Hotel Yorba. It didn't look like a fancy one, but it also didn't look like one that you would only stay at if you couldn't afford any others. It was nice and mid-range in terms of price.

As they had at the various Pokemon centers they'd stayed at so far, they booked two rooms, one for the boys and one for Serena. They were offered the use of a luggage cart, but they declined, since all they really had were their backpacks.

 _Ah, the joys of traveling on a budget,_ thought Ash. It wasn't a very strict budget, considering that being a trainer wasn't all that expensive, but some corners would need to be cut; Ash's mother wasn't made of money.

Still, the boy felt as though that was part of the experience. Not just of traveling, but of growing up in general. Tough decisions were going to have to be made, but that was what made it so special.

As he made his way up to the room, carrying his backpack, he thought that life couldn't get any better.

* * *

 **I thought that the title of this chapter was appropriate, given what it's about. Ash is living the dream, getting to travel through Sinnoh. And, if you want to talk to me at any time, you can find me at SnowLucario#5443 on Discord.**

 **Also, here's the current party (unchanged from the last chapter):**

Ash: Coyopa (male Pikachu), Levu (male Leafeon)

Serena: Kalokalo (male Piplup), Galang (male Ivysaur)

Lucas: Jabeni (male Zorua)


	10. The First Gym Battle

**Here's the tenth chapter; yes, we're finally into double digits, and I couldn't be happier about it.**

 **Over these ten chapters, the story has accumulated:**

 **Words: 34,682**

 **Views: 1,301**

 **Reviews: 29**

 **Favorites: 16**

 **Follows: 17**

 **Current music: Not Gonna Die - Skillet**

* * *

The trio of Ash, Serena, and Lucas didn't go out to dinner that night. Instead, they stayed back in their hotel room and ordered room service.

Serena also suggested that they should go to bed earlier than they usually would at home. None of them were concerned about sleeping in past ten in the morning, because that hadn't been something they'd done on the journey thus far. That said, all of them did want to get up early so that they could have a nice breakfast.

 _We'll need all the rest we can get,_ Serena thought as she lay in bed that night, staring at the ceiling of her private hotel room.

Five days. That was how long she'd been away from home. Other than going off to summer camp, she'd never been away from her parents for that long. Besides, this was quite something else from summer camp.

That had been in a relatively controlled and safe environment. While there had been some activities that the counselors hoped would put them out of their comfort zones, there had been nothing that was outright dangerous. The outcome was always certain, or at least relatively so.

Now, however...not so much. She was traveling further and further away from home, and the prospect of seeing her parents again was becoming more and more remote. That's not to say that she thought it would never happen, but she realized that the day that she was reunited with them wouldn't come any time soon.

She had no regrets about leaving on this trip with Ash. Her life back at home had been relatively predictable and boring, and that, surely, was more painful than anything that could await her on this journey. As a result, the knowledge that something bad could happen on this trip didn't have too much of an effect on her, at least not yet.

Serena looked over at the wall that separated her room from the one that held Ash and Lucas. Since the walls were insulated well, she couldn't hear the sounds of snoring or speaking, meaning that she had no way of telling if they were awake or not.

 _Hopefully they're sleeping better than me,_ she thought, smiling somewhat.

She might have thought it as somewhat of a joke, but it did worry her, even if only slightly. If none of them were rested, they wouldn't perform well at tomorrow's battle. At least, not as well as they could.

Serena thought about Lucas Whitefur, the Lucario they'd met on their first day on the road. For the most part, she didn't know what to make of him.

It was true that he was a nice individual. He'd joined them without much hesitation, and he'd quickly become part of the team. Both her and Ash saw him as their equal.

At the same time, however, she couldn't quite shake the inkling that there was something Lucas wasn't telling them. She didn't think it was anything particularly earth-shattering, but she wished that the Lucario could have been a little more honest with them.

 _Still, though,_ she thought, _who really cares? Win the battle tomorrow first. Figure out what Lucas may or may not be hiding later._

Eventually, Serena did manage to drift off to sleep, trying not to think too much about it. When she woke up at roughly half past five in the morning, she didn't feel quite as rested as she usually did, but she felt all right.

She considered going to wake Lucas and Ash, but she decided against it. After all, they needed their sleep just as much as she did.

Even if she didn't want to get them up at this moment, she could still have some company, she soon realized. All of her Pokemon had been resting in their Pokeballs, but they generally had more energy than humans did.

Serena took her two Pokeballs off of the bedside table and sat up in bed. She then released Kalokalo and Galang one by one.

The Ivysaur and the Piplup both looked at her with slightly incredulous expressions.

It was then that Serena remembered why this was so. Yesterday, when they'd first booked this hotel, they hadn't bothered to show their Pokemon where they were. It was no wonder that her Pokemon appeared to be surprised.

"Where are we?" Galang asked his master. Serena, fortunately, knew what to answer at that moment.

"This is a hotel in Hearthome City. We got here yesterday, and now it's early in the morning. In a few hours, we're going to go to the gym and battle Fantina".

Galang looked excited at the prospect, but not as much so as Kalokalo. Really, it wasn't too surprising that that was the case. Serena had had Kalokalo for nearly six years by this time, ever since her 10th birthday, but he'd never gotten to participate in a gym battle.

"I can't wait" the Piplup said quietly.

"Yeah, it'll be fun" Serena replied. "If we win, we're going to get the Relic Badge. That's just one of the badges you can get in the Sinnoh region".

She talked with her Pokemon for a while longer, before she decided to go in and check on the boys. It was now nearly seven in the morning, and, while she didn't want to wake them up _too_ early, she knew that it would probably be better for them to have some time to prepare.

Serena took her room key and left the room she'd been staying in. Heading to the adjacent room, she knocked on the door.

"Come in" said Ash Ketchum's voice.

She opened the door and saw that both Ash and Lucas were awake, and they both looked excited as well.

"First gym battle" said Lucas. "I'm pretty excited for it".

"Yeah, it'll be pretty sweet" replied Ash. "I just can't wait to get that badge".

Once the three of them had all brushed their teeth and done anything else that they needed to do, they went down to the lobby to have breakfast.

While they were eating, they took in the sight of Hearthome City coming to life. Most of the people were either people going to work or women walking with their children.

Due to being considered child-friendly, Hearthome City was very desirable for parents of young children. As a result, real estate there didn't come cheap; you would have to pay a pretty penny to reside anywhere near it. And, in the interest of the children, there wasn't exactly a frenetic scene of nightlife. For some people, living here wasn't worth it.

In spite of that, or perhaps because of it, Serena decided that she liked this place; she really did. It might not have been her top choice to live in, but it had its own charm to it that was undeniable. That was something she could certainly appreciate.

As Lucas bit into a piece of toast, he looked over at his Pokeball. "I don't know which of us is going to fight Fantina. Will it be me or Jabeni?"

"My guess is", Ash said in between bites of an apple, "that Jabeni will be the one fighting one of her Pokemon. Just because you're technically the trainer".

Lucas nodded, but he looked slightly apprehensive.

 _That's understandable,_ Serena thought. _After all, you don't see non-human trainers all the time._

At first, she worried that the gym wouldn't allow Lucas to battle, or else treat him as though he were a battling Pokemon and not a trainer. But then she told herself that that was silly; they'd already accepted it yesterday when they'd put in their names to reserve a battling slot. She shouldn't have even been worrying about that.

Once they were done eating their breakfast, they headed back up to their rooms and waited for half past nine. That was the time they'd decided they would leave. If all went according to plan, meaning that they won this battle, that night would be the last one they spent in Hearthome City. (You had to check out of the hotel before 10:30 AM, and the trio wasn't going to do that just in case they failed to defeat Fantina).

They arrived back at the gym with twenty minutes to spare. While they were in the waiting room, waiting for their turn to battle, Kalokalo looked over at Serena.

"Are you nervous, Kal?" she asked the Piplup.

He nodded. "I just...don't know why I'm nervous, but I am".

Of course, Serena had some pre-battle jitters as well. She didn't know _why_ she was so worried; it wasn't as though they were going to be killed if they lost the battle.

Part of it was most likely that she'd set herself up to expect a success. She didn't want to let herself down by losing.

Lucas also looked pretty nervous, but Ash's Pikachu, Coyopa, was rocking back and forth on his feet, grinning ear to ear. It was plain to see that Coyopa, at least, was excited for this battle.

 _I am, too,_ Serena told herself. _I really am. It's just that I'm nervous as well. But where's the fun without a little bit of risk, you know?_

 _That's one way of putting it,_ a voice inside her head told her. _Or maybe the risk just isn't worth it. Maybe you should head back home now._

 _No,_ Serena replied to that voice. _I'm not letting Ash and Lucas down._

Ash looked back at her eventually and clearly saw that she looked worried. He gave a small, almost imperceptible nod that Serena was sure Lucas hadn't noticed. He was too busy petting Jabeni and Kalokalo to do that.

Finally, a voice over the intercom said, "Next battlers".

Serena's heart leaped into her throat. All of the excitement and anxiety she'd had earlier was coming to a raging boil.

It was time to see if she was any good or not.

* * *

The three of them stepped into the arena, and Serena was struck by just how large a room it was.

The room was as large as an indoor hockey rink, and it somewhat appeared as such, the lack of ice on the ground notwithstanding. However, the stands had spectators, perhaps twenty or so people who appeared to be from all walks of life, just like the random assortments of people they'd seen on the subway earlier.

Really, this shouldn't have made Serena nervous. It was only twenty people, after all, and it wasn't as though this battle was being recorded for all of posterity.

However, with the pre-battle jitters that she'd already had, the crowd of twenty people might as well have been twenty thousand, and she wouldn't have been any more nervous than she already was.

On the other side of the arena stood Fantina, the gym leader of Hearthome City. She was a tall, skinny woman with a long dress that was a dark shade of lilac. She also had hair that was a similar color.

Serena looked up at the stands, where she could see that a man was standing, wearing a black and white shirt. She could only assume that he was a referee of sorts.

"On one side, it is the gym leader, Fantina, of Hearthome City" announced the referee through the microphone, in a booming tone. "On the other side, it is Ash Ketchum, Serena Courtland, and Lucas Whitefur. Only the challengers are allowed to swap out Pokemon. The battle will end when one side is unable to continue".

Serena's heart was beating faster than ever. This was it, this was when the battle was about to begin. She couldn't wait to actually get the Relic Badge...but then again, she and her Pokemon would have to _earn_ it.

"Yes" said Fantina, looking towards the stands as if expecting cheers to come. When they didn't, she continued. "I have three Pokemon, and each of you have your own teams, correct?"

The three of them nodded.

"What we're going to do, then, is have each of you battle a specific one of my Pokemon. The Lucario - I take it you are Lucas, correct?"

"That is correct" Lucas replied.

"You and your Pokemon will do battle against my Mismagius. Ash, you'll go against Duskull".

As she named each Pokemon, she released it from its Pokeball. Looking at Serena, she said. "You, Serena...you'll fight against Haunter. Like the referee said, the battle will end when one side is unable to continue".

The three trainers nodded their agreement, and then the battle began once all three of them had released their Pokemon. Ash chose Coyopa, Serena chose Kalokalo, and Lucas had no option but to use Jabeni for this fight, since that was the only Pokemon he had.

Serena knew that battling required her to focus mostly on her own Pokemon; she couldn't care too much about how Ash and Lucas were doing. "Kalokalo", she ordered, "use Pound!"

She was almost immediately completely absorbed in the battle. Even though Kalokalo had only had fairly limited training over the last six years, he was quite impressive as he did battle against Fantina's Haunter.

Haunter used a Shadow Claw, which Kalokalo was barely able to dodge. At the same time as that was happening, Serena stole a quick glance over at the other two battles.

Jabeni, Lucas's Zorua, was fighting against Mismagius, but the latter was proving to be a very difficult foe. The main reason for this was that Mismagius was able to teleport around the stage. As much as Jabeni would have tried to keep up, the Zorua would tire eventually, and then there'd be nothing to stop him from being attacked.

Meanwhile, Coyopa was dashing around the arena, shooting lightning bolts like crazy. Some of them were connecting, but many were not. Duskull was a fast mover as well, which Serena supposed could apply to all of Fantina's Pokemon; the gym leader did, after all, specialize in Ghost type Pokemon.

 _Okay, that's about enough of focusing on other people,_ Serena thought to herself. She knew that she really should be paying attention to what was going on with Kalokalo and Haunter.

Unfortunately, the twenty or so seconds that she hadn't been paying attention to her own battle were enough for the Piplup to have been grabbed by the Haunter. It appeared as though Haunter were trying to choke Kalokalo, because he was squeezing tighter and tighter.

"Let...me...GO!" the Piplup screamed, trying in vain to get out of Haunter's grasp. Of course, the Ghost type wasn't going to do that without a fight.

Kalokalo was doing his best to wriggle out of the grip of Haunter, but it was clear to see that he was fading fast. Another few seconds and he'd be knocked unconscious, and then Serena would have to replace him with Galang.

 _It's not that Galang's not a good fighter,_ Serena thought. _But if I have to swap out this early, that really doesn't bode well, does it?_

Finally, in what appeared to be the Piplup's last few seconds, he was able to get out of the grip of Haunter and stagger over to Serena's side. He readied himself to attack once more.

Serena wasn't so convinced that he was ready for that, though. There was a faint purple glow around Kalokalo, and he was swaying on his feet. Those were both ominous signs to be sure.

The Piplup stumbled towards Serena. "I can keep going" he insisted. Haunter was hovering on the other side of the arena, looking hungry for more, but Fantina was clearly holding him back. At least the gym leader had some sense of decency, if she was doing that.

"Nope" Serena replied. "Kal, I'm the trainer, and I say you need a break".

"I...do...not…" Kalokalo croaked as he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

The girl smiled, chuckling slightly. "I think that just says you do".

With a flash of red light, Kalokalo was recalled into his Pokeball. Serena, even though she'd tried to make light of the situation, was under no illusions that things looked rather dire for her. Haunter appeared to have taken very little damage, but he'd been able to dispatch the Piplup just like that.

"Go, Galang!" Serena exclaimed, looking at her Ivysaur. "Beat Haunter!"

To her right, Serena could hear a cry of joy. She was in the middle of the arena, with Ash on her left and Lucas on her right. She assumed that this meant that Jabeni had defeated Mismagius; she wondered how he had done so, given that Mismagius had been teleporting around like crazy.

To her left, Duskull was still going strong against Coyopa. Ash had not yet had to swap in Levu, but it was clear that the Pikachu was tiring. If this battle went on for much longer, he might indeed have to switch Pokemon.

Galang proved more adept than Kalokalo at dodging Haunter's attacks, as well as actually landing hits. Within five minutes, it sure looked as though Haunter was on the ropes.

Serena took the opportunity to look over to the right side of the gym, and her hypothesis turned out to be correct. Lucas Whitefur, despite probably being the least experienced of the three trainers, had been the first one to defeat one of Fantina's Pokemon. By any objective standard, that was quite a feat.

 _Okay, Galang, do your stuff,_ Serena thought, as though Galang were capable of telepathy. _I know that you can win this battle._

Indeed, Galang was doing pretty well at attacking. For the most part, the Ivysaur seemed to believe that offense was the best defense, and he was battling rather aggressively.

 _Let's see if that works._

It seemed as though it might have been, because before long, it looked like Haunter was on the ropes. The Ghost type was wavering, looking very much like it would faint soon.

 _About to get this done,_ Serena thought. She'd been nervous before this battle, but it really was going their way.

As it would turn out, she was right. After a couple more hits by Galang, mostly Vine Whips (he was that much of a barbarian), Haunter crumpled to the ground in defeat.

This meant that Serena's portion of the battle was over. Lucas, who was now stroking Jabeni's sweaty fur, looked over towards the girl, and gave a thumbs-up.

Serena smiled, feeling very proud of herself indeed.

 _But it's not over yet,_ she thought. _Ash has to win his part of the battle before we can get our badges._

Coyopa, as it turned out, had more energy than even Ash had thought. Ash kept trying to persuade the Pikachu to take a rest, that he should stop and let Levu have a turn, but Coyopa was resisting.

Just a few minutes later, however, it was over. Duskull crumpled to the ground and did not get up again.

"The battle is over!" announced the referee loudly. "The winners are Ash Ketchum, Serena Courtland, and Lucas Whitefur!"

* * *

 **I could have added more here, but I decided that it would go better in the next chapter. The next chapter may be a little longer than usual in coming out, the reason for which should become obvious pretty soon.**

 **I hope everyone has a very merry Christmas!**

* * *

 **Ash: Coyopa (male Pikachu), Levu (male Leafeon)**

 **Serena: Kalokalo (male Piplup), Galang (male Ivysaur)**

 **Lucas: Jabeni (male Zorua)**


	11. Everything Is Awesome

**It's now December 23, and Christmas is the day after tomorrow. Perhaps it's because I'm looking forward to a trip to the tropics that I'll be leaving on right afterwards, but I barely realize that we're that close to what was once my favorite holiday.**

 **I hope you guys all enjoy this chapter!**

 **Music: Fly Away by Lenny Kravitz**

* * *

It took a few seconds for it to sink in, but, when it had, Ash realized just how happy he had become in that short period of time.

 _We won!,_ he thought excitedly. They'd won their first gym battle!

Fantina sighed audibly before walking over to the side of the gym that Ash, Serena, and Lucas were on. It was clear that she didn't like to lose.

"Well, congratulations, you three. You beat me fair and square, so let me go get your Relic Badges. They will serve as tokens of your accomplishment, proof that you defeated my team".

Ash couldn't help but feel rather jubilant at that thought. As Fantina went into the lobby to grab three Relic Badges, one for each of them, he felt as though he was one step closer to his dream.

 _Which, of course, I am. One badge down, quite a few more to go._

Indeed, he couldn't count his chickens before they were hatched; that much was clear. However, he still felt very optimistic about the future. He now knew that he was _capable_ of beating a gym leader.

Fantina returned and handed each of the three of them a badge. Said badge consisted of four interlocking circles in a very light blue color, with one in the middle and three on the outside in a triangular pattern. It didn't look like anything too spectacular to Ash, except for the fact that it was his first badge. Perhaps that made it feel more special.

"Thanks, Fantina" said Lucas. He looked at Jabeni, who was looking up at the gym leader with a smile on his face.

"Don't thank me" the gym leader replied. "Thank yourselves, for training enough to beat me. In any case, you should probably head out and celebrate; my Pokemon need to be healed before their next battle".

Ash wondered what it must have been like to be one of the gym leader's Pokemon. Chances were that you wouldn't get very much rest at all during the day, because you'd have to take part in so many battles. That said, Coyopa seemed to love battling; the Pikachu had never looked as though he felt more alive than he had as he'd been duking it out with Fantina's Duskull.

They didn't stick around in the gym once Fantina had gone into the back room, where Ash assumed that the healing machines were. He and the others left the building and began looking around for something to do.

"Do you want to go out to lunch to celebrate?" Serena asked him.

Ash didn't see why not. After all, all three of them were pretty hungry; the gym battle, while exciting, had also been somewhat draining even for the trainers. Ash could only imagine how Jabeni, Kalokalo, Galang, and Coyopa were feeling.

 _Poor Levu never even got to battle,_ Ash thought, feeling slightly guilty about that. He should have asked the Leafeon if he'd wanted to battle, but he'd just been more confident with Coyopa.

But the Duskull hadn't even been that hard, and Levu might not have been any weaker than Coyopa.

 _Oh, well,_ Ash thought. _They say that hindsight is 20/20; there's really no way to tell what could have been._

All he knew was that he wanted to celebrate what _had_ happened, so he and Lucas followed Serena down the street to an old-fashioned diner that was next to a subway stop.

"Does this one look good?" the girl asked the boy and the Lucario. Both of them nodded; they were just eager to have something to eat and celebrate their victory.

They headed inside, and Ash was surprised at the restaurant's atmosphere. For such a modern-looking city as Hearthome was, the diner looked like it was something that might have been around sixty years ago. That was, of course, the way it had been designed, to have an old-school charm to it that would be undeniable.

"Yeah, this looks like a good one, Serena" Ash said.

Lucas looked at Ash, smiling, as if to say _My thoughts exactly!_ It was clear that he was pretty happy with it as well.

The waitress came over and showed the three of them to their table, and they discussed the battle that had just happened.

"I'm surprised that Jabeni was so good, Lucas" Serena told the Lucario. "Do you have any secrets of how to train a Zorua that we don't know? Could you tell us?"  
Lucas chuckled. "I would if I could, but I promise you I can't. I really don't know how Jabeni got to be so awesome at battling, but he really made quick work of that Mismagius".

Part of Ash didn't really care about the battle that had just happened. They'd won, and that was all that really mattered to him. Perhaps they could go over it, discuss what they may have done right, and use that knowledge to help them in the future.

 _I suppose,_ he said to himself, _that that may be why._

They continued to chat for a while, until the waitress came back and they ordered their food. After they returned their menus, the conversation resumed.

"How much longer do you want to stay in Hearthome City, Ash?" Serena asked him. "I think that you should get to decide".

"I'm the boss?" he asked.

"I mean, I don't see why not" Lucas said. "Serena and I have been discussing this, and it makes sense that you'd be the boss. After all, this journey was your idea in the first place".

Ash felt slightly betrayed that the two of them had been having conversations without, and _about,_ him, but he decided not to bring that up. Even so, he felt his face turn slightly red.

"Well", he said, "I think probably just one more night. It's too late to check out of the Hotel Yorba, otherwise we could have left right after this lunch".

"Why?" asked Serena. "Why would you want to leave as soon as possible? Why wouldn't you want to, to put it one way, stop and smell the roses?"

"Because", Ash replied, "it's just...I want to get all the badges as fast as we can". He probably sounded like a rather bratty little kid saying that, but he didn't really care. He just really wanted to move on to the next gym.

"That's fair" Lucas chimed in. He clutched his Pokeball in his left hand, in which Jabeni was resting. After the battle, all five of the Pokemon in the party had been placed back in their Pokeballs, but Kalokalo was going to need a healing machine at a Pokemon center, having been hurt rather badly by Fantina's Haunter.

Eventually, their food came, and Ash was spared from having to speak any more, instead digging into his burger and watching the other two do the same. It was really quite a relief, just getting to relax for a change.

Perhaps Serena was right; maybe taking your time was okay. In terms of battling, he'd certainly had his fill for one day. Having defeated Fantina was incredibly satisfying, and not a feeling he would forget any time soon.

He knew that, eventually, he would have to come back down to Earth, having been on this high after winning the first gym battle. But right now, he couldn't help but be immensely proud of himself, Lucas, and Serena.

Speaking of Serena, as she sipped hot chocolate out of a cup with her right pinkie finger sticking out, Ash thought that it looked rather formal for her to do that. It was something that would have been done at a tea party with adults, not something that a teenager who was on a journey would be likely to aim for. In particular, Ash had never known Serena to be one who aimed for formality all, or even much, of the time.

 _Why am I noticing all of these things about Serena right now?,_ he wondered.

Really, it was a question that wouldn't have an easy answer. It felt as though an answer were pounding at the inside of his skull, causing a headache. Indeed, he was getting a headache from trying to puzzle it out.

 _I can't be...you know,_ he thought. _We're just friends, we're just hanging out. That's the way it is._

Ash had always been close with Serena, since they'd known each other for so long. However, over the last week, he'd only gotten to know her even better, and they'd become closer to each other.

 _How much longer until you admit it?,_ the voice inside his head asked him. _How long until you own up to the fact that you have a crush on her?_

He was determined that he wouldn't do so in front of Lucas. He might not have known the white-furred Lucario for very long, but he was pretty confident that he didn't need him knowing about his crush on Serena.

 _There I go,_ Ash thought. _I just admitted it to myself, didn't I?_

It was one thing, he realized, to admit something to yourself. It was quite another to say it out loud. While Ash had already done the former, he was a hundred miles away from doing the latter.

For the rest of the day, that question would linger in the back of his mind. He might have had a crush on Serena, but would he ever be able to admit it to her? What would he have to lose by telling her? What would he have to gain by _not_ telling her? Those questions, he was convinced, had two different answers.

That night, in the hotel room he shared with Lucas, Ash feigned sleep for as long as possible. This wasn't an easy task, as he was feeling quite restless.

By this time, the initial joy he'd had at defeating Fantina had worn off, to be replaced by an uneasy sense of foreboding. No matter what he said, no matter what he tried, he was convinced that it was no use: Serena would never accept him if he told her about his crush.

 _She'd probably leave, unless I told her when she was in a really good mood. Probably after another gym battle that we win...what's next, again? Oreburgh City?_

He was so internally conflicted that he couldn't even remember the geography of Sinnoh, something that should have been easy for him with all the time his trio had spent poring over maps the last few days.

By midnight or so, Ash was convinced that Lucas had gotten to sleep. The Lucario had tossed and turned for a while, but eventually he'd stopped moving. Ash took this as his chance.

He stole out of the room very quietly so as not to wake Lucas, and then entered the hallway. Since the hotel, in the interest of being child-friendly, had no stairs, he took the elevator to the lobby.

Someone had set out a basket of apples on a table, so Ash took one and bit into it. The sweet taste of the apple's flesh helped to distract him from his emotional turmoil.

 _But does unrequited love count as emotional turmoil?_

He decided that it did; otherwise, he'd feel more guilty than he already was. As he looked outside at the night sky, in which no stars were visible thanks to the light pollution, he felt tears forming.

 **(Insert a horizontal line here)**

"What's wrong, Ash?" Serena asked him over breakfast the next morning. "You look tired".

Ash could only shrug. He would not, _could_ not reveal to her what had really been happening during that time that he was supposed to be sleeping. That was, as far as he was concerned, something for him and only him to be aware of.

 _You'll have to tell her eventually,_ he thought. _Why not now?_

He shook his head so slightly that he was pretty sure Serena wouldn't be able to notice. Now just wasn't the right time for it. Perhaps there would be some time in the future when he could tell her, but clearly not now.

"I guess I didn't sleep much last night" he said, trying to be as honest as possible. That was, at least, the truth, but perhaps not the whole truth.

"It happens" Lucas said casually. "Sometimes I haven't been able to sleep as much as I would like. It means nothing".

 _I really wish it meant nothing,_ Ash thought.

As he took a bite out of a scone, he couldn't help but ponder how Serena had always seemed special to him.

Back at school, he'd never considered dating too seriously. It wasn't just that he hadn't been too interested in it, although that was certainly part of it.

It seemed to him as though many of the girls at school were shallow, only caring about good looks, and wouldn't even bother to give a chance to anyone who didn't look attractive. That was practically the _definition_ of shallow, and Ash certainly didn't want anything to do with a girl like that.

Serena Courtland, on the other hand, was very different. Yes, she looked good, but she never appeared to be trying too hard in order to do so. She just...did, even without any makeup that he could detect.

It wasn't just that, though. Her personality just seemed so genuine to him, and always had. It was as though Serena were a flower in a field of weeds.

 _I'll probably be searching for a time to ask until my hands bleed,_ Ash thought bitterly. _Does she want to hear it?_

Eventually, they finished breakfast and checked out of the hotel. When that process was over, they decided that they were going to stay in Hearthome City until after lunch.

Even though Ash was kind of the unofficial head of this journey, he'd acquiesced to Serena's desire to, as she put it, "stop and smell the roses". They were going to go to a local park in order to practice with their Pokemon, and then they'd go out to lunch at a restaurant nearby. Once that was over, they would leave.

Ash had taken some time in the early hours of the morning to study the map once more. He saw that Route 208, and then Route 207, led to Oreburgh City, their next destination on this trip.

 _Our next destination._

He'd only been away from home for a week now (in fact, even though he was having a hard time keeping track of the days, he was pretty confident that it had been _exactly_ a week), but it felt as though it had been much longer. So much had happened.

Ash was pleasantly surprised by the breeze that was blowing its way throughout Hearthome City as they stepped outside. It wasn't very fast, but it was nice and cool, something that helped to alleviate the heat a great deal. It made things somewhat bearable even for Kalokalo, who had been let out of his Pokeball so that he could get some fresh air, having been healed yesterday afternoon from the battle with Fantina's Pokemon.

Indeed, all of their Pokemon had been released from their Pokeballs so that they could enjoy the beautiful morning. Since none of the buildings in Hearthome City were very tall, it was possible to see a lot more than one would be able to in, say, Jubilife City.

...and yet again Ash was hit with the charm of this city. Perhaps he could only appreciate it so much now that they were about to leave it, but even so, it had never felt so special to him.

They arrived at a park that was roughly a mile from the Hotel Yorba. It wasn't a huge park, but it had a battling court that was currently in use by a boy. He was battling with a Machop against someone else's Pikachu.

"What are the odds?" Ash exclaimed. "This kid's got a Pikachu as well!"

"Yeah, well…" Serena replied, trailing off. She eventually continued with, "Pikachu aren't all that rare even up here. You wouldn't think they'd be common, but they are".

Ash nodded as he watched the Machop battle the Pikachu. Eventually, it was clear to see that the Machop had won, because he was able to, with a punch, send the Pikachu reeling. The latter Pokemon fell to the ground and did not get up again.

"There we go!" the boy with the Machop exclaimed. He went over to his rival and shook his hand.

 _Nice sportsmanship, kid,_ Ash thought.

The boy turned to face our trio, and Ash was able to see more details with regards to what said boy looked like.

He appeared to be a couple of years younger than Ash and Serena. He had skin that was roughly halfway between light and dark, but it was still much darker than Ash and Serena, who were both fair-skinned. His hair was dark and curly, and he stood at roughly 5 feet, 4 inches tall.

"Morning" the boy said. "You wish to battle me?"

The thought had barely crossed Ash's mind. However, he was very quick to smile and nod. After all, his mother had always taught him to be as polite as possible to others; times like this were no exception.

"Sure" Ash replied. "Let's do it".

The younger boy went over to the other side of the court, and Ash stayed on the side he was currently on. "My name's Ethan, by the way" the boy said.

"Thanks, Ethan" Ash said. "My name's Ash".

"Nice" Ethan replied. "I see that you have two Pokeballs with you".

"Yeah. I've got a Pikachu and a Leafeon. Which one would you rather battle?"

Ethan scratched his chin slightly, clearly trying to think of what to say. Eventually, he said, "Well, I was just battling another Pikachu. Can I battle the Leafeon?"

"Sure" Ash replied, releasing Levu from his Pokeball.

Almost immediately, Ash noticed just how much Levu was shaking as he looked at him, staring at Ash with an expression of suspicion on his face.

He noticed the peculiar look on Ethan's face and couldn't help but ask him, "What's wrong?", even though he thought he already knew.

Ethan shrugged. "He just looks nervous for some reason. He looks like he doesn't like you".

Levu nodded. "I don't like you, Ash" he said, words that shocked the trainer he had just named; Levu rarely spoke a single word, after all.

"Wh-why not?" Ash asked the Leafeon.

"I just don't" Levu replied, looking at Ash with an expression of utmost loathing.

"Don't push it, Ash" Serena told him. "Just battle Ethan".

The battle that ensued could hardly have been described as fun. Indeed, Ash wasn't enjoying it too much, because, unlike Coyopa, Levu seemed very hesitant to follow his instructions, as though Ash were asking him to drink poison.

 _What did I do wrong?_

Ash felt as though he'd done something to offend Levu, perhaps when he had first met him.

 _What could it possibly have been?_

He didn't know, but he suspected that he wouldn't like the answer.

* * *

Ash: Coyopa (male Pikachu), Levu (male Leafeon)

Serena: Kalokalo (male Piplup), Galang (male Ivysaur)

Lucas: Jabeni (male Zorua)


End file.
